{"id":11574,"date":"2026-02-17T23:13:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T23:12:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/newsroom\/?p=11574"},"modified":"2026-02-17T23:26:44","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T23:26:44","slug":"expedia-au-2026-air-hacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/newsroom\/expedia-au-2026-air-hacks\/","title":{"rendered":"Expedia 2026 Air Hacks: Friday takes off as the most affordable day to travel\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>February 18, 2026,&nbsp;SYDNEY<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013&nbsp;Today,&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Expedia<\/a><sup>\u00ae<\/sup>&nbsp;released its&nbsp;2026 Air Hacks Report,&nbsp;revealing Friday has become the&nbsp;most affordable day to fly,&nbsp;driven by reduced business travel at the end of the week.&nbsp;The report shows that&nbsp;February&nbsp;is&nbsp;the&nbsp;most affordable month to travel,&nbsp;with&nbsp;routes&nbsp;across Asia and the South Pacific&nbsp;seeing&nbsp;some of the biggest&nbsp;airfare&nbsp;drops.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now in its tenth year, the&nbsp;Expedia&nbsp;Air Hacks Report draws on millions of&nbsp;Expedia&nbsp;data points and new consumer research to highlight how changing&nbsp;traveller&nbsp;behaviours&nbsp;are&nbsp;reshaping&nbsp;when&nbsp;Australians&nbsp;choose to take to the skies.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cTiming can play a big part in airfare savings,\u201d&nbsp;<strong>said Sarah King, Expedia Travel Expert.<\/strong>&nbsp;\u201cWith business&nbsp;travellers&nbsp;heading home earlier in the week, leisure&nbsp;travellers&nbsp;can unlock better value by choosing smarter travel days, like Friday, with the added bonus of starting their holiday a little earlier&nbsp;to stretch&nbsp;the weekend.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key Air Hacks for 2026 include:<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>When to fly for savings:<\/strong>&nbsp;\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Depart on a Friday<\/strong>&nbsp;to save up to&nbsp;<strong>12%<\/strong>&nbsp;compared to flying on a Sunday.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>February is the cheapest month to&nbsp;fly<\/strong>, with savings of up to&nbsp;<strong>74%<\/strong>&nbsp;(around $520) compared to December.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>When to fly to avoid crowds:<\/strong>&nbsp;\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Tuesday<\/strong>&nbsp;is the quietest travel day;&nbsp;<strong>Friday<\/strong>&nbsp;is the busiest.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Avoid&nbsp;the&nbsp;morning&nbsp;rush:&nbsp;<\/strong>more than 56% of domestic departures and&nbsp;45% of international&nbsp;departures&nbsp;are in the morning.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>February<\/strong>&nbsp;is the least hectic month to travel;&nbsp;<strong>December<\/strong>&nbsp;is the busiest.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Quietest travel dates:<\/strong>&nbsp;Mid-March and end of July&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Busiest travel dates:<\/strong>&nbsp;Good Friday and Boxing Day&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>When to book:<\/strong>&nbsp;\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The most affordable booking window is four to six weeks before departure for economy flights.<\/strong>&nbsp;Compared to six months out:&nbsp;\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Domestic flyers can save an average of&nbsp;<strong>$40.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>International flyers can save an average of&nbsp;<strong>$140<\/strong>. Those who prefer to plan slightly further ahead can still save around&nbsp;<strong>$75<\/strong>&nbsp;booking three months out.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Book on a Thursday&nbsp;<\/strong>and&nbsp;travellers&nbsp;can&nbsp;save up to&nbsp;<strong>7%<\/strong>&nbsp;compared to booking on a Saturday.&nbsp;<strong>Book in July&nbsp;<\/strong>and&nbsp;travellers&nbsp;can&nbsp;save up to&nbsp;<strong>20<\/strong>% compared to booking in November.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Aussie&nbsp;traveller&nbsp;in-flight habits:<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Dodging dollars:&nbsp;<\/strong>One in two (52%) would wear extra layers to dodge extra baggage fees (65% Gen Z \/ 52% Millennials vs 17% Boomers).&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>No extra baggage:&nbsp;<\/strong>Carry-on is king as&nbsp;37% fly&nbsp;without checked bags.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Pet peeves:<\/strong>&nbsp;Seat kicking is the nation\u2019s top in-flight pet peeve (39%), above&nbsp;people reclining their seat too far (29%),&nbsp;crying babies&nbsp;(28%), and people invading their seat space (25%).&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Seat-swappers:<\/strong>&nbsp;One in&nbsp;three&nbsp;(36%)&nbsp;have asked a stranger or flight attendant to swap seats, with almost half (47%)&nbsp;doing so&nbsp;to sit with family or friends.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Bank more savings with&nbsp;Expedia\u2019s Annual&nbsp;Holiday&nbsp;Sale.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Thinking about your big&nbsp;Easter&nbsp;or&nbsp;winter trip? Members&nbsp;can&nbsp;save up to 40% off select stays&nbsp;during&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/Travel-Deals?locale=en_AU&amp;siteid=25?brandcid=EXPEDIA-AU.COMMS.PR.ANNUALVACATIONSALE.GENERIC\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Expedia\u2019s Annual&nbsp;Holiday&nbsp;Sale<\/a>.&nbsp;Book by&nbsp;16&nbsp;March 2026, for stays between&nbsp;18&nbsp;February&nbsp;and&nbsp;30&nbsp;September&nbsp;2026.*&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Check our Expedia\u2019s latest Air Hacks\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/see\/airhacks?brandcid=EXPEDIA-AU.COMMS.PR.AIRHACKS26.GENERIC\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">HERE<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">###&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>APPENDIX<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2026 Air Hacks&nbsp;Additional Insights<\/strong>&nbsp;<br><strong><\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>AUSSIE IN-FLIGHT HABITS<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>37% of&nbsp;Aussie&nbsp;travellers&nbsp;now fly carry\u2011on only, and 28% plan long&nbsp;stopovers&nbsp;to explore another city. Additionally,&nbsp;52% would wear extra layers to dodge extra baggage fees (65% Gen Z \/ 52% Millennials vs 17% Boomers).&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Top oddities seen by Aussie travellers on a flight include bringing smelly food (23%), seeing a couple going to the toilet together (18%) and nail-cutting (17%).&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>39% of Aussie travellers said that having their seat kicked is the ultimate pet peeve, above&nbsp;people reclining their seat too far (29%),&nbsp;crying babies&nbsp;(28%), and people invading their seat space (25%).&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Half&nbsp;of Aussies&nbsp;(51%) opt for a window seat, followed by aisle seats (27%), then exit row seat (8%).&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Over a third (36%) of Aussie travellers have asked a stranger or flight attendant to swap seats. Among those seat-swappers, the leading reason was to sit with family or friends (47%), but 36% admit they did it in the hopes of snagging a window seat.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>TOP DESTINATIONS<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Top 10 most popular destinations&nbsp;Australians&nbsp;fly to:<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Domestic:<\/strong><br>Sydney, NSW<br>Melbourne, VIC<br>Brisbane, QLD<br>Perth, WA<br>Gold Coast,&nbsp;QLD<br>Adelaide, SA<br>Cairns, QLD<br>Hobart, TAS<br>Canberra, ACT<br>Sunshine Coast, QLD&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/td><td><strong>International:<\/strong>&nbsp;<br>Bali, Indonesia<br>Tokyo, Japan<br>Bangkok, Thailand<br>Auckland, New Zealand<br>Singapore<br>Los Angeles, USA<br>Hong Kong&nbsp;<br>Manila, Philippines<br>London, UK<br>Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam&nbsp;<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Top trending destinations&nbsp;Australians&nbsp;fly to:<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Domestic:<\/strong><br>Toowoomba, QLD&nbsp;(+15%)<br>Hobart, TAS&nbsp;(+15%)<br>Geelong,&nbsp;VIC&nbsp;(+5%)<br>Perth, WA&nbsp;(+5%)<br>Cairns, QLD&nbsp;(+5%)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/td><td><strong>International:<\/strong>&nbsp;<br>Nha Trang, Vietnam +140%&nbsp;<br>Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia +95%&nbsp;<br>Palau +70%&nbsp;Phu Quoc, Vietnam +65%&nbsp;<br>Hyogo, Japan +60%&nbsp;Kos, Greece +45%<br>Mallorca Island, Spain +35%<br>Budapest, Hungary +30%<br>Nadi, Fiji +25%<br>Portland, USA +25%&nbsp;<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>AIRPORT AND FLIGHT ROUTE TRENDS<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Airports that are trending upwards, based on&nbsp;volume of flights,&nbsp;are<\/strong>:&nbsp;\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Darwin +56%&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cairns +46%&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Maroochydore +38%&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Brisbane +30%&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Adelaide +24%&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Saver&nbsp;routes<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Domestic&nbsp;flights under $200 on average<\/strong><br>Gold Coast to Newcastle &#8211; $95<br>Ballina to Sydney &#8211; $155<br>Newcastle to Gold Coast &#8211; $175<br>Melbourne to Launceston &#8211; $175<br>Maroochydore to Cairns &#8211; $185<br>Launceston to Sydney &#8211; $195&nbsp;<\/td><td><strong>International&nbsp;flights under $550 on average<\/strong><br>Darwin to Bali &#8211; $275&nbsp;Cairns to Bali &#8211; $285<br>Gold Coast to Queenstown &#8211; $ 375<br>Sydney to Auckland &#8211; $410<br>Adelaide to Bali &#8211; $495<br>Brisbane to Auckland &#8211; $510<br>Melbourne to Christchurch &#8211; $545&nbsp;<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Saver routes: International flight routes seeing the biggest YoY decease in price:<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Maroochydore to Auckland, New Zealand: -76%&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Newcastle to&nbsp;Bali, Indonesia: -44%&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Sydney to Port Vila, Vanuatu: -35%&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Darwin to Bali, Indonesia: -29%&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Cairns to Nadi, Fiji: -27%&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Data disclaimers:<\/strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All average ticket pricing data are based on bookings made on Expedia.com.au&nbsp;from December 2024 \u2013 November 2025, with any comparison metrics compared to December 2023 \u2013 November 2024&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most popular and trending destinations based on searches made on Expedia.com.au&nbsp;from December 2024 \u2013 November 2025, compared to searches made December 2023 \u2013 November 2024&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Third-party research was conducted by market research partner&nbsp;OnePoll&nbsp;in accordance with&nbsp;the Market Research Society\u2019s Code of Conduct. The&nbsp;study was conducted online among&nbsp;7,000&nbsp;adult respondents across&nbsp;seven&nbsp;countries, who are planning domestic or international travel in the next 12 months.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>*Expedia\u2019s Annual&nbsp;Holiday&nbsp;Sale&nbsp;ends&nbsp;16 March 2026,&nbsp;property local time,&nbsp;and&nbsp;is subject to limited availability.&nbsp;Stay between&nbsp;18 February and 30 September 2026.&nbsp;Blackout periods may apply.&nbsp;Terms apply.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">###<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>FAQ<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Q: How far in advance should I book domestic flights?<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A: The most affordable time to book a domestic economy flight&nbsp;in Australia&nbsp;is&nbsp;four to six weeks&nbsp;before departure.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Q: How far in advance should I book international flights?<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A: The most affordable time to book an\u202finternational economy flight is&nbsp;four to six weeks before departure.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Q: What are the cheapest days to fly in 2026?<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A:&nbsp;Friday is the&nbsp;cheapest day to fly&nbsp;in 2026.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Q: What international destinations are trending for 2026?<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A:&nbsp;The top trending destinations Aussies are looking to fly to in 2026 are:&nbsp;Nha Trang, Vietnam (+140%), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia +95%), Palau (+70%), Phu Quoc, Vietnam (+65%), Hyogo, Japan (+60%)&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Q: What day of the week is best for booking flights?<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A: The cheapest day to book is&nbsp;a\u202fThursday.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Q: Which international routes are currently under&nbsp;$550?<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A: These are the routes that&nbsp;Aussies can fly to for under&nbsp;$550:&nbsp;Gold Coast to Queenstown,&nbsp;Sydney to Auckland,&nbsp;Adelaide to Bali.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>February 18, 2026,&nbsp;SYDNEY&nbsp;\u2013&nbsp;Today,&nbsp;Expedia\u00ae&nbsp;released its&nbsp;2026 Air Hacks Report,&nbsp;revealing Friday has become the&nbsp;most affordable day to fly,&nbsp;driven by reduced business travel at&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":11545,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[138],"tags":[],"companies":[73],"locations":[72],"class_list":["post-11574","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","companies-expedia","locations-sydney","entry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11574","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11574"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11574\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11584,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11574\/revisions\/11584"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11545"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11574"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11574"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11574"},{"taxonomy":"companies","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/companies?post=11574"},{"taxonomy":"locations","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/locations?post=11574"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}