If the latest figures are any indication, then 2016 is set to become the year of travel, with international airfare prices starting the year at rock-bottom levels.
Yep, you read right.
According to Tom Walley, the General Manager of Flight Centre Travel Group, increased airline capacity and competition has meant that airfares to popular holiday destinations are now the lowest they’ve been in recent years.
Airfare deals to many overseas destinations – such as Bali, Fiji, London and Los Angeles – are now so good that even the sub-par Australia dollar may not be enough to dissuade Aussie travellers from packing their suitcases and jumping on a plane.
Hawaii is by far the standout bargain, with return airfares to the archipelago about 40 percent cheaper than last year. Punters can head over to the archipelago from just $511 return – compare that with $856 return last year. Hawaii has been receiving a record number of Aussie visitors of late, and no doubt this will continue thanks to these cheap airfare deals.
Bali is another hotspot travellers keen on snapping up a bargain. How does a return fare from Sydney to Bali for $391 sound? That’s 27 percent cheaper than a year ago.
Those with the UK in their eyes will also be happy to know that Flight Centre’s cheapest fare to London is now just $1299, compared to $1593 a year ago.
The arrival of Air Asia X in New Zealand has certainly played a part in the airfare price wars down under. But increased competition, and decreased demand, to destinations further afield than NZ has meant that the average international return airfare from Sydney is now about 14 percent cheaper than it was 12 months ago.
For example, the Sydney-Fiji and Sydney-Phuket routes both suffered from decreased demand, and now these routes are about 25 percent cheaper than last year.
As is always the case with airfares, booking as early as possible and being flexible with dates will mean the best deal.
