Kiwis to save $57m on flights to Asia Pacific

MEDIA RELEASE May 2017

KIWIS TO SAVE $57M ON FLIGHTS TO ASIA PACIFIC

Cheapflights Compass 2017 Uncovers How Locals Can Get More Boeing for their Buck

More Kiwis than ever are searching for getaways according to the 2017 edition of the Cheapflights Compass report, which revealed the most popular and affordable hot spots for local travel lovers, along with the best ways to save this year.

Conducted by Cheapflights.co.nz, this, the second annual Cheapflights Compass, analysed over 2.9 million searches – that is more than two years’ collective search time per month – to uncover how Kiwis can save time and money when booking their next trip to Asia Pacific, and new for 2017, favourite long haul destinations in Europe, the US and beyond.

Top 10 Most Affordable Countries

1. Tonga $640

2. Cook Islands $657

3. Fiji $718

4. Samoa $754

5. Vanuatu $830

6. New Caledonia $857

7. Indonesia $900

8. Malaysia $924

9. Singapore $988

10. China & Thailand $1,027

Top 10 Most Affordable Airports

1. Nuku’alofa $640

2. Rarotonga Island $657

3. Nadi $700

4. Apia $754

5. Suva $864

6. Denpasar-Bali $885

7. Kuala Lumpur $924

8. Singapore $988

9. Shanghai $1,006

10. Phuket $1,015

The leading global flight search and travel deals platform found flights to the Asia Pacific region are seven per cent cheaper year-on-year.

Here, Tonga ($640), Cook Islands ($657), Fiji ($718) and Samoa ($868) are the most affordable destinations – offering locals savings of $98, $240, $135 and $114 year-on-year for average return airfares respectively. Fiji retained its #3 popularity ranking, with India, Thailand and Indonesia also maintaining top spots.

Nathan Graham, Regional Sales Manager at Cheapflights ANZ, said: “New Zealanders are clearly smart holiday makers with the popularity of routes reflecting where the best prices are also available.

“Return airfares to the top 10 most popular countries average $923, while flights to destinations ranking 11 to 20 in popularity are more than $1,450 on average.

“Our research highlighted great opportunities for savvy locals to save while exploring both easy-to-reach and culturally rich destinations. For example, flying to Denpasar-Bali instead Jakarta in Indonesia can save $188 on average, choosing Nadi over Suva will get you $164 back, and skipping Ko Samui ($1,385) to start your Thailand adventure in Phuket could mean an extra $300 in spending money.”

The Cheapflights Compass report also revealed that no matter the destination, the day of the week travellers choose to search increasingly has very little effect on airfares (prices vary by less than three per cent across the week). Departure day and the pre-book period both have a much bigger impact on price.

“Travelling on a Tuesday is up to 12 per cent cheaper than departing on a Friday. And gone are the days of cheap last-minute deals, as booking less than a week in advance could cost you up to 60 per cent more for a domestic flight, 18 per cent to cross the ditch, and 56 per cent more on international airfares. Generally speaking, three months in advance is the sweet spot for finding the best price,” said Mr Graham.

Looking at long haul ports, the Cheapflights Compass found:

· • La La Land offers the most affordable getaway with return average airfares to Los Angeles just $1,175.

· • London keeps calling, despite the drama of Brexit, with more than double the searches of Los Angeles, even though airfares are almost $700 more return.

· • Kiwis are driving a December peak for long haul travel, with secondary spikes in June and July as locals head to the Northern Hemisphere to escape winter.

MEDIA RELEASE May 2017

Searching closer to home, the report also revealed:

· • Crossing the Tasman remains one of the most travelled routes with Australia’s east coast major cities being both popular and affordable – return airfares costing less than $470 to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

· • Auckland is the top domestic destination, ahead of Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown.

· • Wellington and Auckland are also the most affordable cities (both under $200), but swapping Queenstown for Dunedin could save a few bucks per person.

To find out more or to search your next holiday, visit Cheapflights.co.nz.

Cheapflights_Compass_NZ_FINAL.PDF

ENDS

*NOTES TO EDITORS:

The Cheapflights Compass is a research series from Cheapflights, a global flight comparison and deals publishing platform. It taps into search, price and travel trends to uncover insights that help consumers make informed, savvy holiday decisions. The Cheapflights Compass explored the most popular destinations, search trends and the most affordable airports based on the average round-trip airfares for domestic, Trans-Tasman, APAC and select long-haul flights from key airports nationwide. The insights are based on information gathered from over 2.9 million searches via Cheapflights.co.nz or the app between March 2016 and February 2017, and analysed by an independent data scientist.

CHEAPFLIGHTS – www.cheapflights.co.nz

Founded in 1996, Cheapflights is a leading global flight comparison and deals publishing platform dedicated to taking the complexity out of finding the best value flights through the application of innovative, intuitive technologies: Smart search. Made simple. It is now a market leader in the UK, US, Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand generating over NZ $4.5 billion (£2 billion) in global downstream revenue for its partners as it expands in to numerous other territories. Over 120 million users visit its websites and apps each year, receiving more than two billion search results a month from across 900,000 routes. The 10 million strong opt-in subscribers to the Cheapflights newsletter received over 1.25 billion targeted emails during 2015, offering the best deals from over 120 travel businesses – for whom it has driven more than NZ $90 million (£40 million) in revenue this year. Together, the Cheapflights platforms generate enough bookings for its partners to fill a Boeing 747 every five minutes.

In 2011, Cheapflights became part of the privately-owned online travel search and inspiration network, Momondo Group.

Follow us on Twitter: @Cheapflights

Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/cheapflights

© Scoop Media