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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Jonathan Barrett and Elias Visontay

Why Australians are paying 50% more for air fares than pre-pandemic even as jet fuel costs drop

A Qantas Boeing 787 Dreamliner at Sydney Airport
Australian airlines have been recording huge profits with high demand from travellers, dropping jet fuel costs and schedules not yet back to pre-pandemic levels. Photograph: Dean Lewins/AAP

Australian international air fares have surged by more than 50% above pre-pandemic levels, new data shows, even as the cost of jet fuel plunges, creating a tailwind for airline profits and source of frustration for travellers.

Analysts link the apparent discrepancy between high fares and falling costs to profit maximisation, with airlines including Australia’s national carrier Qantas, in no hurry to give up the extra income.

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