All that recent investment in Business Class lounges around the country and Virgin’s upgraded inflight Business experience is driving up the cost of luxury flying in Australia.
New figures show that the cost of domestic business class airfares has increased over the last year, while economy fares remained neutral, Finder.com.au reported.
The Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE) found that the cheapest available business fare in Australia is five points higher than it was 12 months ago from around 90.8 points in June 2015 to 95.9 last month.
That’s bad news for economy folk who now have to pay a little extra to give Business Class a go, but it’s good news for those regular Business Class flyers who like a little exclusivity in the air.
The slight increase in domestic Business Class shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, considering all the recent investments airlines have put towards their high end product.
Over at Virgin Australia, the carrier recently unveiled a completely refurbished Business product in its Boeing 777-300ER, which features 37 individual and private suites that convert into the length of a queen sized bed at 80-inches.
Qantas also recently unveiled its redesigned lounges in Brisbane and Perth as well as a new seasonal winter menu for lounges around the country.
Meanwhile, Economy passengers have enjoyed relatively stable domestic fares over the last six months with prices sitting around 80.9 points in January and 79.7 in June.
