Virgin Australia International Travellers Pay Cheaper Airfares Than Australian Citizens On The Same Domestic Flight
I was looking at a few Airfares on the Virgin Australia website (previously named Virgin Blue), and I came across a ticket called the “Air Pass” which allows international visitors to Australia to fly all around Australia for a relatively cheaper price compared to the normal ticket prices on domestic flights. Comparing the Air Pass prices for the exact same flight to what Australian Citizens have to pay while booking on the Virgin Australia website for standard domestic flights, the Air Pass is a lot cheaper.
I decided to compare 3 random flights:
- Adelaide to Brisbane
- Brisbane to Sydney
- Sydney to Melbourne
However, with the Air Pass ticket, you must book a minimum of three tickets – so it is no good for those who want to book single or return flights, but if you fly a lot, you’ll often have booked more than 2 flights anyway.
Adelaide to Brisbane – Air Pass
Cheapest ticket: $239
Adelaide to Brisbane – Normal
Cheapest ticket: $259
Adelaide to Brisbane – Total Saving
By booking through Air Pass, you can save a minimum of $20, or if you want to late flight, you can save $90.
Brisbane to Sydney – Air Pass
Cheapest ticket: $89
Brisbane to Sydney – Normal
Cheapest ticket: $95
Brisbane to Sydney – Total Saving
Flight DJ 986 with the Air Pass is $89, but for the normal flight, it is $95. For all the other flights, the savings are $16 a flight.
Sydney to Melbourne – Air Pass
Cheapest ticket: $119
Sydney to Melbourne – Normal
Cheapest ticket: $135
Sydney to Melbourne – Total Saving
Again, depending on the flights, there is some money saving of at least $39.
Total Flight Costs
Therefore, with these three flights, the cheapest I can fly for using the Air Pass is:
- Adelaide to Brisbane – DJ 1047 – $239
- Brisbane to Sydney – DJ 986 – $89
- Sydney to Melbourne – DJ 842 – $119
- Total Cost is: $447
Flying by booking normally, for the exact same flight is $329, $95, $184 respectively, with the total cost of $608.
Therefore, by booking through the Air Pass you have a total saving of $161 for the exact same flight.
Although the Air Pass tickets do not contain tax, I do not believe that you would pay $161 in tax for the normal flights.
Next Day Flights – Air Pass Savings Are Even Greater!
If you are also in urge of a flight, you will know flights for the next day can cost you up to $300, while next day Air Pass flights cost you the normal fair, which means you can save in excess of $200 for the exact same flight! Flight 2, Melbourne to Sydney is $299 for Australian’s, and the cheapest flight on Friday is $198, whereas with the Air Pass, you only pay $179 – which is a huge saving!
So, do you think it is fair that Australian Citizens have to pay more compared to international visitors, especially for next day flights? What is even worse is that the Credit Card fee for the Air Pass is $3.50, while it is $4.50 for Australians. What are your thoughts about this?
