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Jetstar is selling domestic flights as cheap as $35 to entice passengers to fly on its new increased network.
The low-cost Qantas subsidiary’s Friday flash sale features $35 tickets from Sydney to Byron; $55 from Sydney to Melbourne; and $39 from Melbourne to Newcastle.
Yesterday, Australian Aviation reported that the wider Qantas Group announced it was adding 300 more return flights per week by the end of June, with the potential to increase capacity “up to 40 per cent” by the end of July.
In May, chief executive Alan Joyce surprised commentators by claiming the airline could offer fares as low as $19 between Sydney and Melbourne when commercial flights resumed.
Yesterday, Joyce said, “We know there is a lot of pent up demand for air travel and we are already seeing a big increase in customers booking and planning flights in the weeks and months ahead.
“We are gradually adding flights in June as demand levels increase, which will go from 5 per cent of pre-crisis levels currently to 15 per cent by late June. We can quickly ramp up flying in time for the July school holidays if border restrictions have eased more by then.
“The 1 million people who work in tourism around Australia have been really hurting over the past few months. These additional flights are an important first step to help get more people out into communities that rely on tourism and bring a much-needed boost to local businesses.”
Before Thursday’s announcement, much of Australia’s domestic network was heavily reliant on a $165 million government subsidy, announced in mid-April, which increased Qantas Group passenger flights from 105 to 164 per week.
However, these were primarily intended as a way for repatriated passengers to return back to their home state after completing 14-day hotel quarantine.
It comes after Canberra Airport declared on Monday it was open for passengers to fly “without restrictions” to and from Sydney and Melbourne.
