$49 each way: Virgin drops massive winter sale as airlines offer good deals
Australians feeling the pinch have been thrown a travel lifeline as Virgin launches a major sale offering cut-price fares.
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Australians may be reining in household spending in a bid to manage the cost of living crisis, but travellers have been thrown a lifeline when it comes to winter escapes.
Virgin Australia has announced a network-wide mid-year sale, with one million fares on sale from today until Monday July 8, helping Aussies take much-needed breaks.
The sale includes winter domestic hotspots such as the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Cairns as well as warm international destinations such as Fiji, Bali and Tokyo.
“With sale fares starting from just $49, coupled with tax-return season, Aussies can book their next holiday without breaking the bank,” said chief commercial officer Dave Emerson.
More than half of us are feeling hip-pocket pressure as the cost of living continues to rise.
However, a YouGov survey found it hasn’t diminished our appetite for travel — almost one in two Australians consider it more important than other types of discretionary spending.
Virgin Australia’s cheapest fares are between Sydney and Ballina (Byron Bay) from $49 each way, Melbourne and Launceston from $59 and Sydney and Sunshine Coast from $69.
The airline also recently expanded its network, meaning those running away from the cold can also now fly to Uluru from Melbourne or Brisbane from $119 each way.
Meanwhile, the cheapest international fares on sale are between Melbourne and Queenstown from $405 each way, Sydney and Queenstown from $435 each way, Gold Coast and Denpasar (Bali) from $449 each way and Sydney to Nadi (Fiji) from $499 each way.
However, it’s not the only airline currently offering fantastic deals.
Flight Centre return economy flights on sale from Melbourne to Shanghai from $565 with China Southern Airlines and Sydney to Los Angeles from just $997 with Hawaiian Airlines.
Meanwhile, Malaysia Airlines is offering a swath of deals making it possible to fly to the UK for under $2000, including return economy flights from Adelaide to London from $1792, Melbourne to London from $1816 and Sydney to London from $1825.
Points expert Chris Chamberlin says end of financial year is a great time to snap up deals.
“Airlines also analyse ticket sales year-round, and when it’s looking like the numbers are in need of a bump, travellers could benefit from a sharply-priced offer,” he said.
“[They] also keep an eye on the prices charged by their competitors, and when one lowers their price, others may follow suit.”
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