These are the best dates to book flights for the festive season

Going away for the festive season can be a magical experience.

Particularly for us Aussies. We mean, who wouldn’t want to escape the face-melting heat of December to experience a white Christmas?

Whether you’re escaping the heat visiting family, flying during the festive season can be the stuff of nightmares, with a price tag to match.

With less than 19 weeks till Christmas Day, Skyscanner has revealed the best time to book flights for the silly season to ensure the best savings possible.

The new data from Skyscanner has found that while almost three-quarters (72 per cent) of Aussies are planning to travel over the coming Christmas period, a massive 84 per cent of travellers still haven’t got around to actually booking their ticket.

We’re in a state of panic just thinking about it, to be honest.

Over 41 per cent of intended travellers said that “flights being too expensive at this time of year” was stopping them booking their ticket, but data also points to waiting until the last minute (less than a week) as a big factor in higher priced fares.

Research shows Aussies can still save an average of 24 per cent on airfares by booking 17 to 18 weeks advance of their break, with next week (w/c 20^th August) the golden time to book your festive flights.

By analyzing historic booking data, Skyscanner has pulled together a list of estimated savings still available on flights over this festive period when booked in advance.

You can check out the full list here.