SINGAPORE – Planning a trip just after the National Day holiday on Aug 9 could help travellers snag better airfares, according to travel metasearch platform Skyscanner’s Smarter Summer Report.

The report, published in April, revealed that for trips from Singapore, the cheapest time to fly in July and August is the week from Aug 10 to 16. 

“Summer holiday demand typically starts to dip around early to mid-August as much of the peak leisure travel demand would have passed,” says Brendan Walsh, a travel trends and destination expert at Skyscanner.

“Mid-August is often a transitional week where airlines still have high flight capacity deployed for summer schedules, but demand would have softened slightly, which pushes fares down.”

The findings come as travel appetite among Singaporeans remains strong despite rising costs. The report found that 91 per cent of Singapore travellers plan to travel during the upcoming summer months, although 59 per cent say flight prices have made them reconsider their plans for the year.

Among the destinations with cheaper fares during the week of Aug 10 are Perth, Melbourne and Sapporo. From July to August, average round-trip airfares are about $433 to Perth and $739 to Sapporo.

For trips in June, the report identified Langkawi, Bali, Phuket and Bangkok as some of the most affordable destinations to visit, with average round-trip fares coming in below $260.