Qantas drops flight sale with fares from $109

If you’ve been thinking about taking a holiday in your own backyard, this new sale from Qantas could be your perfect start.

Holiday-makers hoping to snap up a bargain have been given plenty of options since Queensland announced they’d be lifting border restrictions on July 10.

From Jetstar dropping airfares to around $45 between Newcastle and the Gold Coast, to Virgin Australia whipping up a frenzy with their “comeback” sale which had flights to Byron Bay for less than $70.

Now, Qantas hope to put the squeeze on their rival airline by dropping a fare sale of their own.

RELATED: Qantas launch two new flight routes

Qantas at Brisbane airport. Picture: Liam Kidston.

RELATED: Jetstar launch $45 flight frenzy sale

Offering 350,000 fares on sale across 77 routes, some flight prices will be slashed by up to 47 per cent.

The sale will feature slashed prices on routes between Sydney and Brisbane, the Gold Coast and even Hamilton Island – as well as cheap deals to South Australia and the Northern Territory.

The sale, which kicked off on Monday and will be running until Friday, July 10, will have some fares starting from $109 one way, with 40 routes on sale for under $150.

“These discounted fares are part of our efforts to drive tourism and revive the tourism industry which has been devastated by COVID-19,” chief customer officer Stephanie Tully said.

“We expect this sale will help stimulate demand even more and encourage Australians to go on holidays and visit family and friends while also helping get more of our people back working again.”

The Qantas sale comes just weeks after the airline announced they’d be axing 6000 jobs in response to COVID-19.

Qantas have more than 350,000 tickets on sale. Picture: Liam Kidston.

Last month, the airline announced in addition to the job losses they would also keep 15,000 staff furloughed until the end of the year as it battles the downturn caused by coronavirus. The job losses will impact pilots, cabin crew, engineers, ground crew who work in baggage handling, fleet presentation and ramp options, as well as corporate staff.

In addition to slashing jobs, Qantas will ground at least 100 aircraft for up to a year or longer, and reduce costs by $15 billion as part of its three-year virus recovery plan.

Since the announcement, the airline said all eyes will be on local tourism recovery with a focus on domestic routes.

Last week, the airline launched two new NSW flights in a bid to boost tourism post COVID-19.

The first, which kicked off on July 1, saw the flying kangaroo depart from Sydney to the popular coastal town of Byron Bay – a route they haven’t serviced in 15 years.

In addition, the airline said they will now fly to Orange in Central NSW from July 20, offering Sydneysiders a direct route to the popular food and wine bowl.

A spokesperson for the airline said the new Qantas route from Sydney to Byron Bay will operate daily return using its Q400 aircraft. The flights are in addition to Jetstar’s flights from Melbourne and Sydney to Ballina.

The airline will operate three weekly return services between Sydney and Orange on its Q200 aircraft from July 20, with plans to increase frequency later in the year.