By Jamie Salter
International airfares have doubled for most travellers looking to journey to their next holiday destination, and those booking a summer getaway may be too late to find a good deal.
Typically, tickets go on sale about 11 months before a flight departs.
This is when globetrotters should be booking their flights, according to Helloworld Travel Pakenham owner Arianna Albertazzi.
Ms Albertazzi said those wanting to get a decent deal for a trip over the Christmas and school holiday period were too late.
“If they booked at the beginning of the year, they could have picked up decent airfares but now all the cheap airfares have gone up,” she said.
“Some airlines have reduced their services and might have two flights a day – instead of five – and won’t be offering any sales, possibly due to staffing issues.
“Because flights are heavily booked, all the cheap fares might be sold out.”
A traveller could usually book a flight to Africa for $2200 but flights are now sitting at $4200.
A flight to Europe, usually about $1500, is now sitting at $3500 to $4000.
Pre-pandemic, local resident Harpreet Kandra would usually pay about $1000 return for his family to visit from New Delhi, India.
Now, Mr Kandra paid almost $1000 each way.
“People want to reunite with their families and I think these airline companies are becoming very greedy,” he said.
“They haven’t earned much for two years but this isn’t showing any compassion.”
Mr Kandra also hopes to take his Federation University students to India to study in mid-November and has been granted $2500 per student from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
He now says it won’t be enough funding for flights as well as accommodation.
“I’m still looking to raise the money so that I can take the students,” he said.
Ms Albertazzi said people were paying “unusual prices”.
“It’s particularly expensive for flights coming back into Australia more so than departures,” Ms Albertazzi said.
“People are paying because they just want to get away.”
Europe, America and Fiji were the steepest holiday destinations but Vanuatu among others were still being offered at a reasonable price.
“It’s a matter of picking the right place. If you’re open to different destinations and dates, you might still get a good deal but pretty much as soon as flights are in date range, people should book.”
Ms Albertazzi encouraged people to look out for early bird deals around September and October this year when booking trips for 2023.
