A-League fans spur Adelaide flight bonanza

The A-League grand final has seen airlines bring in larger planes to meet demand but airfares have also grown.

Adelaide United are hosting this year’s A-league grand final.

Football fever has hit the nation’s domestic airlines with extra flights added to deal with the demand from A-League soccer fans travelling to Adelaide for Sunday’s grand final between Adelaide United and the Western Sydney Wanderers. More than 43,000 tickets have been sold for the clash at Adelaide Oval, with about 10,000 fans travelling from interstate. To cope with the demand Qantas has replaced its smaller capacity Boeing 717s with Boeing 737s on already scheduled services which provide around 50 to 60 extra seats per aircraft. But while Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin have increased capacity to Adelaide, they have also increased fares, leaving many Western Sydney fans unable to afford the pilgrimage. Economy airfares from Sydney to Adelaide on Sunday have surged in price, with one-way flights ranging from $429 to as much as $1468. Flights back to Sydney on Monday morning range from $329 to $701.

Qantas and Vietnam Airlines are investing $US139 million ($183m) to double the size of Vietnamese low-cost carrier Jetstar Pacific’s fleet to 30 aircraft over the next four years. Qantas, as the owner of a 30 per cent stake, will invest $US42 million between now and 2020 with Vietnam Airlines making up the remainder.

More than 20,000 people are expected to flock to the Illawarra Regional Airport for its annual airshow this weekend. This year’s air show will feature Australia’s “Top Gun” Matt Hall as well as a restored 1955 Lockheed Super Constellation, which was once the Qantas flagship. Attendees will be hoping for clear skies after last year’s event was cancelled due to rain. In 2014, winds of up to 100km/h grounded flying displays.