Christmas cancelled: Airfares rising, and likely to stay high

The cost of domestic flights has spiked as we head into the Christmas season – and an expert says we should get used to it.

Gone are the days where interstate airfares could cost you a single note – Adelaide-to-Melbourne flights for $49 seems like a fever dream and now flying interstate cost hundreds with prices set to continue to rise over the silly season.

Rising jet fuel prices, fewer scheduled flights and pent-up travel demands have all contributed to some of the highest airfare prices UniSA senior tourism lecturer Freya Higgins-Desbiolles has seen.

“The era of cheap flights is over,” Dr Higgins-Desbiolles said, adding it’s “likely to last a while”.

“Airlines are trying to make up for the lost profits during the pandemic.

The Department of Transport released data on airfare prices from Adelaide to Sydney. Picture: Department of Transport

Data pulled for the cheapest available fares from the Department of Transport shows prices jumped more than $100 for flights from Adelaide to Sydney between November and December this year.

Flights between those two cities rose by almost $100 on average between 2021 and 2022.

Similar increases can be seen for other flight paths, including Adelaide to Melbourne and Adelaide to Gold Coast.

Melbourne: Changes in domestic flight prices from Adelaide to Melbourne. Picture: Department of Transport

Those wanting to get to Melbourne for Christmas will see only a slight increase of less than $20 from November after a $58-average hike from 2021.

But for those wanting some fun in the sunshine state, you’re looking at a more-than-$150 price increase between 2021 and 2022 with the cheapest flight available in December putting you $521 out of pocket.

Gold Coast: Changes in domestic flight prices from Adelaide to Gold Coast. Picture: Department of Transport

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s quarterly report into airline competition in Australia shows, along with airline market results, domestic airfares increased significantly between April and August.

The cheapest economy airfares were 56 per cent higher in August 2022 than in April 2022.

“We don’t have the same amount of planes, airlines have shut down and demand is increasing,” Dr Higgins-Desbiolles said.

Dr Higgins-Desbiolles suggested people travel locally, injecting funds into the struggling local hospitality and tourism industry to avoid the airfare costs.

Originally published as Christmas cancelled: Airfares rising, and likely to stay high