Cost of flights between Melbourne and the US to be slashed in massive global airline deal
Flying between Melbourne and the US is about to become a lot cheaper with Delta Airlines breaking Qantas’ monopoly on the flight path.
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The cost of flights between Melbourne and the US is set to be slashed with a major global airline to shake up Qantas’ stranglehold on the market and spark an aviation price war.
Delta Airlines will on Saturday announce it will begin flying between Melbourne and Los Angeles for the first time, in a move expected to drive down prices and create big benefits for Victorian tourism.
The Saturday Herald Sun can reveal the US airline — one of the world’s biggest — will launch at least three weekly flights between Victoria and LA, with promises of more to come.
Cut-price return fares as low as $867 between Melbourne and LA — hundreds of dollars cheaper than usual — are likely as part of the shake-up.
It is in direct competition with Qantas and United Airlines which are now the only carriers offering direct flights between Melbourne and LA.
The deal, landed in a partnership between Melbourne Airport and Visit Victoria, is expected to be a win for consumers during a cost of living crisis.
Tourism Minister Steve Dimopoulos said such a major airline setting up shop in Victoria was a big deal, with inbound US and Canadian tourism to bolster the state’s regions as well as Melbourne.
“This is a win for the whole state – for tourism operators, businesses, hotels and restaurants, and for families and travellers,’’ he said.
“These new Delta flights will bring thousands more tourists from the whole of North America to Victoria,’’
The extra 86,000 weekly Melbourne-LA seats would also be a win for Victorians trying to afford a trip to the US to take in the likes of Disneyland, Hollywood, sports such as NBA and NFL.
“These new flights will also make it more affordable and convenient for travellers and families who want to experience the USA – which is a win for families who have America on their bucket list,’’ he said.
Delta has a global fleet of planes almost eight times bigger than Qantas, with 985 aircraft compared to 125.
Industry insiders said the move put Qantas on notice it must drop fares.
The size of Delta’s customer base also has Victorian tourism chiefs excited, with. the 200m passengers it flew last year to be spammed with marketing material about the likes of the Great Ocean Rd, Phillip Island, F1 Grand Prix and Australian Open.
Melbourne Airport chief executive Lorie Argus said the new Delta flights would help restore capacity on the Melbourne route to where it was pre Covid-19 and make it easier for Victorian businesses to connect with a key trading partner.
“The new services will help bring hundreds of extra visitors to our state each week, which will help support Victoria’s world-class tourism, dining and hospitality venues,’’ she said.
Initial flights would depart Melbourne at 10.25am on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, arriving in LA at 6.10am local time the same day.
Flights will leave LAX at 9.25pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, arriving in Melbourne at 8:15am.
Delta will commence the new flights in early December, with plans to grow as further long-haul A350 aircraft enter its fleet.
It will become the first airline to fly the Airbus A350 non-stop from Melbourne and the US.
The flights will feed into Delta’s busy LAX hub, where it has connections to more than 40 cities in the US, including New York, Boston, Seattle and Atlanta.
When it launched similar flights from Brisbane to LA late last year, Delta cut prices to $867 return — less than half the price offered by other carriers for the two years prior.
The US is Victoria’s fourth largest international tourist market, attracting more than 200,000 people in the year ending September 2024, who spent about $358m in Victoria.
More than $2.4bn worth of goods were freighted between the US and Victoria during the year ending June 2024.
Originally published as Cost of flights between Melbourne and the US to be slashed in massive global airline deal
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