When will Australians see international flight prices drop? - Travel News

Aug 25, 2023

We’ve got some good news and bad news.

In 2019, Aussies could score a return ticket to Europe in the peak of summer for as little as $1,400 during an early bird sale, which in today’s airfare market is insanely low. Acquiring a ticket under $3,000 would be considered a good deal in 2023 for the same flight, during the same period of time.

In 2023, Qantas international airfares are up 20% compared to 2021 and the bad news is the national carrier doesn’t see prices returning to pre-pandemic levels anytime soon. Why? Because of the cost of fuel and the imbalance between the supply and demand chain.

“Fares have risen because of higher fuel costs, but also because supply chain and resourcing issues meant capacity hasn’t kept up with demand. Now those challenges are starting to unwind, we can add more capacity and that will put downward pressure on fares,” Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said during a press conference regarding the airline’s record underlying half year pre-tax profit of a staggering $1.4 billion.

But there is a silver lining. Qantas anticipates prices will moderate as international airlines return to Australia and Australian airlines continue to increase the number of services. The airline said domestic flights were now above pre-pandemic capacity, although international flight numbers were still behind.

“Fares will keep trending down as more airlines can unlock capacity – which relies on things like supply chain for aircraft, labour availability and training pipelines. For Qantas, we started adding more flying back in January and have another step up in March,” Joyce said.

So if you’re wanting to travel overseas in 2024, best keep your eyes peeled for early bird flight sales. Hot tip: sign up to your preferred airlines newsletter so that you are the first to know when the sales are. Early bird sales are likely to hit your inbox on this side of the new year, so stay tuned. We’ll keep you posted when they do.