Qantas returns to San Francisco, American Airlines flies from Sydney to Los Angeles, United takes off to NZ and Air New Zealand heads south to Houston.
There’s so much competition on the trans-Pacific route right now, it’s no wonder return fares are selling for as low as $699.
Well, that specific fare is available for students headed to San Francisco, for us older folk United Airlines has roundtrips from LA to Sydney selling from $979, while Qantas is teasing us with flights to San Francisco from $1,100.
According to Flight Centre Head of Leisure Travel, Tom Walley, this mass fare war on sales to the US is giving Australians access to some of the best prices we’ve ever seen.
Speaking to News.com.au, he said the introduction of American Airlines flights is ‘keeping airfare costs low’ making it the best time for Aussies to book a flight to the ‘land of opportunity’.
“Because America is such a popular destination for Australians, it’s important that airlines continue to lure customers back to their service and the competition between carriers that fly direct and those with a stopover is fierce.”
Tom Walley, Flight Centre Head of Leisure Travel
He said based on airline behaviour, when one carrier introduces a sales price the others are likely to follow.
So if your clients aren’t keen on booking a trip to the US right now, then they may want to keep checking in with you for future discounts that may lead to a similar dip in prices.
Additionally, the major airfare discount is making the US more attractive while the Australian dollar struggles to keep up with the US dollar.
The latest market update currently shows Aussies receive around US$0.72 for every Australian dollar. This may seem low right now, but it’s US$0.06 better than the exchange two weeks ago.
