This is the best time to travel to avoid flight cancellations

Expedia has revealed the best time to travel to avoid flight cancellations in its 2025 Air Hacks report.

Nothing takes the shine off your holiday faster than a cancelled flight. Feelings of excitement and anticipation quickly evaporate when faced with the task of rearranging your plans last minute to cater to a new departure date or time.

But global travel company Expedia, in collaboration with Airlines Reporting Corporation and the OAG, has stepped in to help. In its recently released 2025 Air Hacks report, which covers a multitude of air travel hacks, it revealed the best times and days to travel to avoid cancellations altogether.

Airport display board showing cancelled flights — Expedia reveals your best bet at avoiding flight cancellations. (Image: Anya Berkut)

So, when should you travel to avoid flight cancellations?

The numbers are in and flight cancellations are at their lowest in February and March, with an average of just 2.5 per cent of flights cancelled. In comparison to January, which sees cancellation rates of 9.4 per cent, these two months are extremely reliable for air travel.

What’s more, the data indicates that flights departing in the late evening, specifically between 9 pm and 3 am, are the least likely to be cancelled. Flights booked between 3 pm and 9 pm have a 43 per cent higher chance of being called off compared to those leaving later in the night.

Stock image of traveller at an airport — February and March are the best months to book.

If you’re also concerned about costs, it’s good to factor in the time of year you’re looking at travelling. January is the cheapest month for economy class; if you’re looking for premium tickets, opt for October. Surprisingly, Saturday has been revealed as the cheapest day of the week to fly, with travellers saving up to 27 per cent compared to Monday departures.

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What other hacks did the report reveal?

When it comes to pain points for airline travellers, cancelled flights aren’t the only problem to solve. Thankfully the data reveals several hacks to save you time and money and help you avoid other airport stresses while also hinting at hot travel destinations to consider visiting in 2025 before they peak in popularity.

Stock image of a plane window — Expedia’s report also hints at 2025’s hottest travel trends.

How to save money

Can the day you book make a difference to the cost? The findings say yes! Booking airfares on a Sunday can save you up to 20 per cent. Depart on a Thursday and you could be looking at up to 8 per cent in savings. That money could be better spent in destination.

Booking domestic flights at least six months in advance will save you up to 36 per cent. Securing your ticket two months in advance for an international flight can save you up to 12 per cent. In fact, the further in advance you book, the more expensive it can be. A three-month pre-departure window is ideal for securing the best price for overseas travel.

Stock image of a plane on the runway — Use the three-month pre-departure window when booking international flights.

Expedia also recommends price tracking on its app, which analyses data to show users the best time to book and notifies you when flight prices change. Bundling is another way to save – booking holiday packages (which often include flights, accommodation, car rentals and/or activities) can save you hundreds.

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How to save time

Whether you’re going it solo, jetting off with friends or travelling with family, airports can be stress-inducing places. And while there’s not much you can do about customs lines and security checks, Expedia recommends travelling on a Sunday when airports are generally at their least busy. It will save you time as you won’t have crowds to contend with.

Stock images of a man and his child waiting at the airport — Sundays are when most airports are at their quietest.

Trends to look out for

The report names Sydney, Adelaide and Canberra as the hottest places to travel domestically this year. Combine Sydney’s incredible beaches with Adelaide’s foodie scene and Canberra’s never-ending list of things to do and you’ve got the ultimate Aussie itinerary.

When it comes to international destinations, Bali in Indonesia, Thailand’s capital of Bangkok and Los Angeles, USA, are the most popular places among Aussie jet setters. And thanks to new direct flight routes, Expedia predicts Istanbul (non-stop from Sydney with Turkish Airlines) and Fiji (non-stop from Cairns with Fiji Airways) will increase in popularity in the year ahead.

Coogee Beach in Sydney, NSW — Sydney is known for its beautiful beaches. (Image: Destination NSW)

Slow down and find your rhythm on a Murray River journey through time and place.

Trust is a funny thing. It seems not that long ago that my mother was insisting on pouring the milk into my cereal bowl, because she didn’t trust me not to slosh it over the table, and yet here I am on the Murray River at Mildura in far north-west Victoria, being handed the keys to a very new and very expensive luxury houseboat.

After a crash course in how not to crash, I’m at the wheel of the good ship Elevate – pride of the All Seasons fleet – guiding her upstream past red-ochre cliffs as pelicans glide above the rippled river and kookaburras call from reedy banks. There’s a brief moment of breath-holding while I negotiate a hairpin turn around a jagged reef of skeletal, submerged gum trees, before a cheer rings out and calm descends as the timeless river unfurls in front of us.

The Murray River winding through Yarrawonga. (Image: Rob Blackburn)

Setting sail from Mildura

Murray River birds — Home to a large number of bird species, including pelicans. (Image: The Precint Studios)

A journey along the Murray River is never less than magical, and launching from Mildura makes perfect sense. Up here the river is wide and largely empty, giving novice skippers like myself the confidence to nudge the 60-tonne houseboat up to the riverbank where we tie up for the night, without fear of shattering the glass elevator (the boat is fully wheelchair accessible) or spilling our Champagne.

My friends and I spend three days on the water, swimming and fishing, sitting around campfires onshore at night, and basking in air so warm you’d swear you were in the tropics. The simplicity of river life reveals an interesting dichotomy: we feel disconnected from the world but at the same time connected to Country, privileged to be part of something so ancient and special.

Stop one: Echuca

19th-century paddlesteamers — A historic 19th-century paddlesteamer cruises along the Murray River. (Image: Visit Victoria)

The six-hour drive from Melbourne to Mildura (or four hours and 20 minutes from Adelaide) is more than worth it, but you don’t have to travel that far to find fun on the river. Once Australia’s largest inland port, Echuca is the closest point on the Murray to Melbourne (two hours 45 minutes), and you’ll still find a plethora of paddlesteamers tethered to the historic timber wharf, a throwback to the thriving river trade days of the 19th century. The PS Adelaide, built in 1866 and the oldest wooden-hulled paddlesteamer operating in the world, departs daily for one-hour cruises, while a brand-new paddlesteamer, the PS Australian Star, is launching luxury seven-night voyages in December through APT Touring.

The town is also a hot food and wine destination. St Anne’s Winery at the historic Port of Echuca precinct has an incredibly photogenic cellar door, set inside an old carriage builders’ workshop on the wharf and filled with huge, 3000-litre port barrels. The Mill, meanwhile, is a cosy winter spot to sample regional produce as an open fire warms the red-brick walls of this former flour mill.

Stop two: Barmah National Park

Just half-an-hour upstream, Barmah National Park is flourishing, its river red gum landscape (the largest in the world) rebounding magnificently after the recent removal of more than 700 feral horses. The internationally significant Ramsar-listed wetland sits in the heart of Yorta Yorta Country, with Traditional Owners managing the environment in close partnership with Parks Victoria. Walkways weave through the forest, crossing creeks lined with rare or threatened plants, passing remnants of Yorta Yorta oven mounds and numerous scar trees, where the bark was removed to build canoes, containers or shields.

The Dharnya Centre (open weekdays until 3pm) is the cultural hub for the Yorta Yorta. Visitors can learn about the ecological significance of the Barmah Lakes on a 90-minute river cruise, led by a First Nations guide, or take a one-hour, guided cultural walking tour along the Yamyabuc Trail.

Stop three: Cobram

Continue east to Cobram to find the southern hemisphere’s largest inland beach. Swarming with sun-seekers in summer, the white sand of Thompson’s Beach is shaded by majestic river red gums and dotted with hundreds of beach umbrellas, as beachgoers launch all manner of water craft and set up stumps for beach cricket. But the beach is at its most captivating at sunset, when the crowds thin out, the glassy river mirrors the purple sky, and the canopies of the gum trees glow fiery orange.

The region is also home to some fine resorts and indulgent retreats. Yarrawonga Mulwala Golf Club Resort has two riverside championship golf courses, luxury apartments and self-contained villas. While not strictly on the Murray, the historic wine town of Rutherglen is rife with boutique (and unique) accommodation, including an exquisitely renovated red-brick tower in a French provincial-style castle at Mount Ophir Estate. Fans of fortified wines can unravel the mystery of Rutherglen’s ‘Muscat Mile’, meeting the vignerons and master-blenders whose artistry has put the town on the global map for this rich and complex wine style.

Stop four: Albury-Wodonga

First Nations YindyamarraSculpture Walk — First Nations Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk is part of the Wagirra Trail. (Image: Carmen Zammit)

Follow the river far enough upstream and you’ll arrive at the twin border cities of Albury-Wodonga. The Hume Highway thunders through, but serenity can be found along the five-kilometre Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk – part of the Wagirra Trail that meanders through river wetlands just west of Albury in Wiradjuri country. Fifteen sculptures by local First Nations artists line the trail, conveying stories of reconciliation, enduring connection to culture, local Milawa lore and traditional practices. It feels a long way from Mildura, and it is, but the pelicans and kookaburras remind us that it’s the same river, the great conduit that connects our country.

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

New Mildura motel Kar-rama. (Image: Iain Bond Photo)

Kar-Rama is a brand-new boutique, retro-styled motel in Mildura, with a butterfly-shaped pool and a tropical, Palm Springs vibe. Echuca Holiday Homes has a range of high-end accommodation options, both on the riverfront and in town.

Playing there

BruceMunro’s Trail of Lights in Mildura — Bruce Munro’s Trail of Lights in Mildura. (Image: Imogen Eveson)

Artist Bruce Munro’s Trail of Lights installation, comprising more than 12,000 illuminated ‘fireflies’, is currently lighting up Mildura’s Lock Island in the middle of the Murray. Murray Art Museum Albury (MAMA) is a hub for contemporary art, with a rotating roster of exhibitions, and is a major outlet for young and First Nations artists.

Eating there

Mildura’s diverse demographic means it’s a fantastic place to eat. Andy’s Kitchen is a local favourite, serving up delicious pan-Asian dishes and creative cocktails in a Balinese-style garden setting. Call in to Spoons Riverside in Swan Hill to enjoy locally sourced, seasonal produce in a tranquil setting overlooking the river.

The data is in. Here’s when to travel to avoid flight cancellations

Expedia has revealed the best time to travel to avoid flight cancellations in its 2025 Air Hacks report.

So, when should you travel to avoid flight cancellations?