AFL grand final an airlines’ dream come true with thousands more seats added on Melbourne routes

Airlines have added thousands of extra seats to get out of state fans to the first AFL grand final in 18 years to feature two non-Victorian teams.

Fans of the Sydney Swans and Brisbane Lions are expected to flock to Melbourne for the AFL Grand Final. Picture: Phil Hillyard

This year’s AFL Grand Final clash between two interstate teams promises to be a dream come true for airlines who are stacking on extra capacity to carry fans to Melbourne — at a significant cost to travellers.

The Sydney Swans and Brisbane Lions will meet at the MCG on September 28, in the first time since 2006 that two non-Victorian teams have made the final two.

Qantas will put on some of the largest aircraft in its fleet to ferry fans from Sydney to Melbourne, boosting total seat capacity on the route by up to 4000 seats from Friday.

As the official airline partner of the AFL, Virgin Australia will also pack on more services including seven extra flights from Sydney to Melbourne and eight more from Brisbane to Melbourne from Tuesday September 24.

A Virgin Australia spokeswoman said the airline had seen huge demand in response to footy finals and “was committed to helping fans get to and from the AFL grand final”.

“Virgin Australia has now added more than 2,600 seats into Melbourne next weekend, reflecting the most additional services of any Australian airline to help get fans to the grand final,” said the spokeswoman.

She said fans travelling to Melbourne for the big game could find one-way fares from Sydney to Melbourne from $223, and Brisbane to Melbourne from $350.

“We encourage guests to be flexible with their travel plans and get in quick to secure the best possible price,” said the spokeswoman.

A search for flights on those routes showed the cheapest fares had long gone, with the best price available on Virgin Australia from Brisbane to Melbourne on Friday either $626 or $733.

Those hoping to return on the Sunday faced paying $1524 for the privilege, with one flight at 8.45am costing $1366 a seat.

Sydney to Melbourne fares started at $534 one way on Friday and at $601 on Sunday.

Kai Lohmann of the Lions celebrates with fans during the 2024 AFL second preliminary final match between the Geelong Cats and Lions on September 21. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Qantas had scheduled 13 extra flights in total between Sydney and Melbourne and Brisbane and Melbourne, representing an additional 6000 seats.

At least two flights between Sydney and Melbourne will be operated by widebody A330s, which can carry up to 297 passengers, compared to 174 on Boeing 737s.

Qantas said on Thursday that the cheapest fares on the routes included $270 from Sydney to Melbourne with Jetstar or $320 with Qantas; $271 from Brisbane to Melbourne with Jetstar and $419 with Qantas.

But on Sunday those prices had jumped to $660 from Brisbane to Melbourne on Qantas, and $747 on Jetstar for anyone hoping to travel on Friday. Return flights on Sunday started at $1134.

Sydney to Melbourne on Qantas was priced at $508 in economy and $1311 in business, rising to $590 for a return flight on Sunday, or $1702 in business.

Qantas Domestic chief executive Markus Svensson said they were pulling out “all stops to get footy fans to Melbourne”.

“These extra flights will help more fans to the game to Melbourne,” said Mr Svensson, urging fans to “get in quick for the cheapest seats”.

“Qantas and Jetstar will monitor demand and may add additional flights early next week,” he added.

Virgin Australia was also prepared to put on more services if required.

An AFL spokesman said the 2024 series so far had been an “incredible spectacle across four states as the men’s season comes to a thrilling conclusion”.

“We understand the scheduling challenges in finals and have been appreciative of our partner Virgin Australia putting on thousands of extra seats for footy fans across the finals and upcoming grand final week,” he said.

Both airline groups came under fire last week for hiking fares on routes from Adelaide, Brisbane and Townsville for the NRL and AFL preliminary finals games played on the weekend of September 21 and 22.

Then in a nightmare for Port Adelaide fans, a Qantas flight from Adelaide to Sydney for Friday night’s game against the Swans was cancelled Friday morning.

Qantas said engineering issues were the cause, and scrambled to get everyone on the full flight on to alternative services.

Some passengers were re-routed through Canberra and Melbourne but Qantas said all would arrive by 6.45pm at the latest, leaving just under an hour to get to the SCG.