ARLINGTON, VA — The U.S.-based Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC) and Expedia have collaborated for the fourth time to produce the ‘ARC 2018 Air Travel Outlook Report’, which aims to help leisure and business flyers determine the best personal travel options.

They used ARC’s flight data that spanned Sept. 1, 2016 to Aug. 31, 2017, to identify patterns relating to best-value pricing so that travellers better understand when they’re most likely to find the lowest prices for flights.

The report found that the advance purchase window for cost-effective ticket purchases continues to gradually increase as a result of strong demand. Business travellers in particularly are also beginning to understand this shifting dynamic, resulting in long-haul, premium flights being booked further in advance.

For most economy or premium air travel, booking more than 30 days ahead is a good strategy for purchasing lower priced tickets.

Sunday proved to be a good day to book tickets. With few exceptions around the world, lower airfares for international and U.S. domestic economy seats were booked on this day.

As for busiest U.S. gateways, New York, Los Angeles and Miami saw the most traffic, while other gateway cities also proved busy, signalling continuing demand for international travel into the U.S.

What was trending in 2017 in the airline industry? Larger, more efficient planes, longer routes and lower prices were the talk of the town. Many airlines are investing for growth, with new aircraft and improved passenger experiences. Some are investing in a more comfortable journey for passengers via fare inclusions, extras or loyalty benefits. Even Low Cost Carriers (LCCs) continue to evolve from the ‘basic’ (or low cost) fare model they made famous, some offering new destinations to second tier airports, and many offering a wider range of fare choice and inclusions.