Kayak’s new feature calculates the median fares for specific routes in a given month and shows it to the users in the form of a convenient and easy-to-navigate chart. This allows you to predict the cheapest airfares to a given destination. Below is an example of such a chart from New York to Paris.
You can adjust the origin and the destination points by simply clicking on the field with the name of the city under the text ‘Origin’ and ‘Destination’ and choosing from the available options. To see the estimated ticket fares, simply hover over one of the dots on the chart, and a field with a price will appear above it.
The chart below, for example, showed that the cheapest tickets to Paris from New York are available in January and February, costing $425 and $436 respectively. The summer months and December, on the other hand, are the most costly months for travelers on this route, costing between $602 and $613.
An extra feature of this chart enables you to view the changes in airfares in comparison to the previous year. To enable it, click on the box near the line ‘View year-over-year’. A second function will appear (the white one in the picture below), showing you the average plane ticket prices in 2018.
This new chart, in our case, shows you that with the exception of March, airfares in 2019 are significantly cheaper than last year. For example, a plane ticket from New York to Paris in 2018 cost $710, but in 2018, it cost over $100 cheaper, averaging at $603. As we mentioned above, the specific prices can be seen by hovering over one of the points on either of the functions.
Yet another feature allows you to compare 2 different destinations originating from the same city.
The picture below, for instance, shows the price comparisons between a flight from New York to Paris (the blue one) and another one from New York to Athens (the orange one). You can enable this feature by clicking on the box next to ‘Compare destinations’ and then choosing a target destination from the Destination 2 box that will appear to the right of the Destination box.
This sample chart tells us a few useful things:
1. That it’s much cheaper to fly to Paris from New York than to Athens (with the minimum difference in fares being $150 in March).
2. That the cheapest months to travel to Paris and to Athens are pretty much the same because the curvature of the 2 functions is very similar).
So, in sum, this feature will allow you to choose the cheapest destination if you’re hesitant between 2 options.
What will happen if you click both boxes, you ask?
Well, the result will be 4 functions, 2 showing you the different destinations, and 2 more providing airfare information about the previous year. This type of chart, like the one below, will not only let you choose the cheapest destination between 2 options, but it will also give you information about airplane ticket fare trends in relation to those 2 destinations.
