The cost of some domestic airfares has more than doubled since before the COVID-19 pandemic as airlines work to restore profits and cover the soaring cost of aviation fuel.
Analysis of Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics (BITRE) data by comparison site Finder found that some airfares had jumped by 112 per cent.
Before the pandemic, airfares on the Perth-Sydney route cost travellers an average of $407. As of 2022 that number has more than doubled (up 112 per cent) to $862. The Melbourne-Perth route has also become more expensive, with its fares having increased 66 per cent from $368 in 2019 to $611 in 2022.
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On average, fares in the first two months of 2022 had grown by 7 per cent when compared to the same period in 2019.
Finder travel expert Angus Kidman said airlines were only in the early stages of recovering their losses after effectively having shutdown for almost two years.
"As demand increases and airlines strive to rebuild capacity, Australians should be prepared for flight costs to remain high," Mr Kidman said.
"To make matters worse, rising fuel costs will contribute to even higher airfares, leaving Aussies faced with no option but to book flights early."
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The analysis found that while the average increased since 2019, some routes were showing average airfare costs falling.
Over the same time period, the Melbourne to Sydney route dropped costs from $170 to $114 (down 33 per cent) while the Brisbane to Cairns route dropped from $235 to $168, a drop of 28 per cent.
To account for seasonal changes in price, all comparisons between 2019 and 2022 data include only the months of January and February, and are based on the cheapest available fare.
Earlier this month Qantas boss Alan Joyce warned that if oil prices remain high, the cost of aviation fuel will also grow and will eventually be passed onto passengers.
"Unfortunately if they [oil prices] stay at these levels airfares are going to have to go up, and we're going to have to pass them on," Mr Joyce said at a business summit.
"If it moves even further – so for every $US4 for a barrel of oil – it's another per cent that airfares will have to improve by."
"I think it will have some impact on the levels of travel out there."
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Despite the warning, Mr Joyce said passenger demand could offset costs – explaining why the primary business route of Melbourne to Sydney has fallen in the wake of COVID-19.
"I will say one other thing on this, is that a lot of it depends on demand. Demand is actually, at the moment, ahead of supply," Mr Joyce said.
"So what we're seeing on London, on the US – which is half of our international operation – we're seeing bigger demand than we can supply at the moment.
"Our ability to get those airfares up, our ability to recover that is there on international."
