By Alistair Finlay and AAP
IT’S not just Father Christmas and his reindeer who take to the skies every year on Christmas Day.
Every December 25, thousands of people crisscross Australia or travel overseas to catch up with loved ones or take family holidays.
And for many, it’s a day to take advantage of cheaper-than-average airline ticket prices.
The cost of flights in the lead-up to Christmas and New Year’s Eve can be pricey, while some flights are up to 70 per cent more expensive in early January.
But if you’re prepared to spend your Christmas Day – or Christmas Eve – negotiating armrest space, wrestling luggage into the overhead compartment and loitering near baggage reclaim, you could save yourselves a bundle.
“There’s always a lot of discussion about how to get the best deal when you’re travelling over summer,” said Justin Brownjohn, a former major airline network controller, who is now operations manager at the RMIT Aviation Academy.
“The tried-and-true method is to travel on Christmas Day.
“Domestic travel goes crazy in the days leading up to Christmas, and international travel is popular from Boxing Day and into the New Year.
“If you’re looking for a relatively stress-free day of travel, and to make some savings, the sweet spot is December 25th itself.”
For example, one-way tickets from Mildura to Melbourne on Christmas Day are currently $199 on Qantas, while on Rex on Christmas Eve they are $159.
Skip forward to Boxing Day and Qantas has the same route listed at $370 and Rex is offering fairs for $298.50.
It’s much the same story on Qantas’ Mildura to Sydney route, with tickets on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at $375 and $385 respectively.
Boxing Day sees the jump to $534 at their cheapest, although only the Tuesday $375 is direct.
Further afield a direct flight from Sydney to London via Qantas is currently showing a one-way fare of $1375 to travel on Christmas Eve and $1604 for Christmas Day. That compares to fares of up to $3000 to travel in early January.
And the festive mood on board can more than make up for the hours spent in transit.
Some airlines serve festive snacks while others offer a full Christmas lunch.
“It’s a very community feeling, everyone is away from their families,” Mr Brownjohn said.
“There is much more joy in the air, people are more kind and accepting, especially if things do go wrong … there’s a feeling of gratitude to staff who are working to keep airlines flying over Christmas.”
Mr Brownjohn said, in his experience as a network controller, flights were usually about 60 to 70 per cent full on Christmas Day, as opposed to more than 90 per cent full during the rest of the period.
He added the airlines also know how important the day is and try to make sure everything runs as smoothly as possible.
“These flights are not busy at all and airlines do their best to minimise disruption on these days,” he said.
“In fact, I worked at an airline that would schedule operational spare aircraft to ensure capacity was available so that travel plans weren’t disrupted.”
But, as always, it’s best to book early to secure the cheaper flights, said associate professor in Finance at RMIT, Angel Zhong.
“Dynamic pricing taps into the urgency and emotions of the holiday season, knowing many travellers are willing to pay more to reunite with loved ones,” she said
“Airlines adjust prices in real-time based on demand, seat availability, and competition.
“Over the festive season, surging demand often leads to sharp price increases, leaving late bookers to bear the brunt.
“This makes it crucial to stick to a budget and avoid spur-of-the-moment purchases.”
