Qantas Ups International Routes Fares by $10 to $200 per Ticket

16th Oct 2015

Australian carrier Qantas Airways is getting ready to increase fare prices on its international routes by 1-4 per cent. As such, a return flight in economy class will cost an additional $10 to $40 and in business class from $20 to $200, depending on the route, of course.

A Qantas spokeswoman said the following about the price rise:

"We consider a range of factors when setting fare levels, including overall market conditions, demand and capacity and offer a range of competitive fares while continuing to represent excellent value for our customers. Airfares today are incredibly good value and are below pre-GFC level. International airfares continue to be 30 per cent cheaper than they were a decade ago.

Qantas will thus offer economy fares to Auckland, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Singapore for $10 and $20 more per ticket. On the other side, business class ticket costs for Bangkok and Singapore will go up by $50-$80 and Auckland by between $30 and $60. A return ticket to London for first class now costs extra $120.

New fare prices will be effective from 29th October this year for travel on or after that date. This will affect Qantas' joint network with Emirates (Europe, Middle East, New Zealand, Singapore and North Africa), as well as the Australian airline's flights to China, South America, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Taiwan, Korea, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, South Africa and New Caledonia.

Qantas Signs New Codeshares in America

In the meantime, flights to and from United States, Canada and Japan will remain at their current price levels. This is the result of Qantas signing codeshare agreements with several airlines in North America, including American Airlines, Alaska Airlines and WestJet.

The new codeshares will cover 40 routes between Australia and United States, Canada and Mexico and will begin on 25th October.

Qantas International chief exec Gareth Evans said in the statement about the new North American codeshares:

"With the launch of our nonstop flights to San Francisco later this year, we've identified an opportunity to position this port as another key U.S. hub for Qantas customers by extending the codeshares we already have in place. Our frequent flyers in particular will benefit from booking on the Qantas code, with increased opportunities to earn points and status credits."