Qantas and Virgin Australia launch huge flight sales ahead of Christmas

Australia’s airline wars are heating up, with Qantas and Virgin offering discounted fares to some of the world’s hottest destinations.

Australia’s airline wars are heating up just in time for Christmas, with Qantas and Virgin Australia both launching huge sales.

For those feeling the pinch just before the summer holidays, Qantas has announced its ‘Travel Week’ sale, discounting more than 1.5 million domestic and international seats across more than 130 routes.

Flights to Singapore are on sale for $519 return. Picture: iStock

The week-long sale offers discounted fares across Qantas’ international network, including Perth to Singapore for $519 return, Sydney or Melbourne to Denpasar for $599 return and Brisbane to Honolulu for $929 return.

Even more discounted fares include return flights from Brisbane to Singapore for $809, Melbourne to New York for $1,419 and Sydney to Los Angeles for $999.

Travellers keen to soak up the sunshine domestically instead of heading overseas can also pick up flights from Sydney to Ballina for $99 one-way, Launceston to Melbourne for $109 one-way and Adelaide to Kangaroo Island for $139 one-way.

“Whether it’s popular destinations like Bali or exploring closer to home, Australians are continuing to prioritise travel and we’re seeing strong interest in destinations like the US for high-profile sports, music and cultural events,” Qantas Domestic CEO Markus Svensson said.

“Domestically, we’re offering sale fares on some of our most popular routes, including Adelaide to Sydney, Brisbane to Cairns and Melbourne and on flights to popular holiday destinations across the Gold Coast, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia.”

Sale fares are available until 11:59pm AEDT Tuesday 2 December 2025, unless sold out prior.

Qantas domestic flights to Western Australia are on sale in their Travel Week special. Picture: iStock

Meanwhile, Virgin Australia has released discounted fares from just $49 as part of its mammoth Black Friday sale.

The airline’s Black Friday sale launched exclusively in the Virgin Australia app on November 25, and the sitewide Black Friday Sale is available from 12:01am AEST on 26 November until 11:59pm AEST on 2 December 2025.

The sale is for travel between 6 January 2026 and 15 September 2026 (unless sold out prior).

Virgin Australia flights to Fiji are on sale for Black Friday. Picture: iStock

For the first time, Virgin Australia has also dropped a mammoth sale on upgrades to its premium extra leg room Economy seating (Economy X) on domestic and short haul international flights.

Domestic flights are on sale across major routes including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Hobart, Perth, Cairns, the Sunshine Coast and Hamilton Island.

International favourites are also on offer, including flights to Bali, Queenstown, Fiji, Vanuatu and Samoa.

Originally published as Qantas and Virgin Australia launch huge flight sales ahead of Christmas