Black Friday is still weeks away, yet Australians hunting cheap airfares already have a reason to resist the urge to buy at the first flash of a red SALE sign. According to Skyscanner, Cyber Monday delivered the lowest average price per seat across the five-day Black Friday to Travel Tuesday sales period in 2025.
That is useful intelligence for travellers planning a 2027 holiday. It is not, however, a guarantee that every flight will be cheaper on a Monday. Airline pricing has never been quite that considerate.
The 2026 sales stretch begins on Friday 27 November, continues through Cyber Monday on 30 November and ends with Travel Tuesday on 1 December. Offers may start earlier or run longer, depending on the airline or travel company.
Cyber Monday wins, but read the fine print
Skyscanner examined its own flight data from last year’s sales window and found the lowest overall average seat price on Cyber Monday. The result challenges the idea that the first day of a promotion must deliver the sharpest bargain.
There are limits to the finding. Skyscanner has not provided the actual average dollar fares or a full breakdown by route in its announcement. An average across different flights cannot tell a family flying from Brisbane to Tokyo whether to book on Friday, Monday or Tuesday.
The practical lesson is to track a chosen itinerary before the sales begin. A fare that meets the budget and includes the right travel dates may be worth securing, regardless of the day stamped on the calendar.
The destinations catching bargain hunters’ eyes
The figures also show where Australian flight searches picked up pace during the 2025 sales period. Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan recorded a 175 per cent increase compared with the previous 12-month daily search average. Rovaniemi in Finland followed with an 85 per cent lift, while Hamilton in New Zealand rose 66 per cent.
These are search increases, not confirmed bookings. Still, they suggest bargain hunters were looking beyond the usual holiday circuit. Bishkek hardly sounds like a routine weekend away, and Rovaniemi offers a rather different climate from a Queensland summer.
On fares, Calgary in Canada was among the standout destinations highlighted in Skyscanner’s sales figures, with average prices down 35 per cent against the previous 12-month benchmark. Buenos Aires fell 29 per cent, Barcelona 27 per cent, Milan 26 per cent and Honolulu 25 per cent.
These percentages describe past price movements. They are not discounts currently available to book, and they do not apply to every departure city or travel date.
Travel Tuesday still has a few tricks
Cyber Monday may have won the overall average-price contest, but Travel Tuesday produced notable reductions on individual destinations in 2025.
Honolulu led Skyscanner’s Tuesday list with a 27 per cent average fare fall. Buenos Aires followed at 21 per cent, Los Angeles at 16 per cent, and both Taipei and Da Nang at 14 per cent. Lima, Peru, recorded the biggest Tuesday search increase, up 88 per cent.
Skyscanner travel expert Jarrod Kris says the final sales day should not be dismissed.
“By the time Travel Tuesday arrives, most people have their travel plans set and aren’t necessarily thinking about next year’s holidays,” Kris said.
“That’s exactly when airlines and hotels swoop in with compelling offers to inspire bookings and entice travellers to start planning their next adventure,” he said.
His point is sensible: a late promotion can be worthwhile. But travellers should compare the full cost, not just the percentage printed beside the destination. A low airfare can lose its charm once baggage charges, lengthy connections and airport transfers join the party.
Five ways to separate bargains from marketing
Skyscanner recommends comparing whole-month departure dates, setting Price Alerts and searching alternative destinations through its Explore Everywhere tool. Its Drops feature highlights selected fare reductions, while checking nearby airports can turn up options that a single-airport search misses.
For Australians, those tactics work best alongside a few basic checks. Compare like-for-like flights, including bags, seat selection and connection times. Check whether the sale fare allows changes or refunds. Calculate the total cost to reach a distant airport before declaring victory over the airfare.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission says businesses must display accurate total prices, including unavoidable charges. That is particularly relevant when the advertised fare looks remarkably cheap.
Skyscanner also promotes flight price drops of up to 40 per cent during Black Friday. Those are platform claims, not a universal saving: available offers depend on the route, departure point and travel dates.
So which day should you book?
For 2026 Black Friday travel sales, the answer isn’t simply ‘Monday’. Cyber Monday was the lowest-priced day on average in Skyscanner’s 2025 analysis, while Travel Tuesday offered sharp falls on particular routes. Neither result predicts what any individual fare will do this year.
Start checking early, know the normal price, and act when the full itinerary represents sound value. For complicated journeys, speak with your travel advisor first. A genuine bargain should get you where you want to go, not merely produce a pleasing number on a screen.
By: Sandra Jones – © 2026.
Read Time: 4 minutes.
Author Bio:
Sandra has spent a working lifetime quietly rescuing journeys, one itinerary, one anxious caller, one impossible connection at a time. Years in Australia’s finest travel agencies taught her the art of calm, how to find a flight in a fog of cancellations, how to soothe a traveller when luggage wanders, how to turn nine frantic days in Europe into something resembling sense. Qualified, seasoned, endlessly patient, she learned that good travel advice is part logistics, part listening.
But the storyteller in her was always waiting its turn. Writing offered a new map, a way to turn experience into reflection, detail into delight. At EGT Media, Sandra now writes the truths only insiders know: the mishaps, the laughter, the grace found between gates and goodbyes. She reminds us that travel, for all its fuss, is still one of life’s better ideas.
