Tasmanian Christmas trips cancelled as airfares hit $750
Flights from Tasmania to Sydney cost $600-750 in December and January, forcing families to cancel holiday plans.
Reported by The ExaminerAlso reported by The Advocate.Claims checked against the source, 23 h ago.
ShareWhy it matters
Regional Australians face the choice of paying extreme prices or missing family events, while competition concerns suggest relief is unlikely soon.
In Australia. Tasmanian families are directly hit, but the pattern affects all regional Australians relying on airlines to reach other states during peak travel.
Key facts
- $69-$99 one-way
- Historical Sydney fares
- $610 million
- Qantas fuel bill overrun
- 98.5 per cent
- Market controlled by two airlines
- Flying from Tasmania to Sydney over Christmas now costs between $600 and $750 per person one-way, almost ten times the $69 to $99 fares that were common years ago.
- Flights to Melbourne cost $400-480 from Burnie, $430-510 from Devonport, and $300-380 from Launceston.
- Families like the Saunders are cancelling interstate visits to see relatives.
- Some residents are driving hours to Launceston airport to save money, then adding fuel and travel time to the already painful cost.
- Airlines blame fuel: Qantas's annual fuel bill ran about $610 million over budget.
- Both Qantas and Virgin Australia are cutting domestic capacity by about 3-4 per cent, which shrinks supply and pushes prices up.
- The ACCC reports that Qantas and Virgin control 98.5 per cent of Australian passenger flights, leaving no real competition to cap fares.
