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Australia's competition regulator spotlights high domestic airline fares
December 7th 2022
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said average domestic airfares were 27% higher in October, compared with pre-pandemic October 2019, amid strong demand for travel and constrained supply. Read More » The figures were outlined in the ACCC’s Airline Competition in Australia report, which shows discount economy fares for the country's top 70 routes had jumped from an 11-year low in April 2022 to a 15-year high in September. “Historic lows and highs for discount airfares in the same year illustrate how changeable this market has been as the industry recovers from the pandemic,” ACCC commissioner, Anna Brakey, said. “We accept airlines are experiencing some pandemic-related resource challenges, but the ACCC will be monitoring them closely to ensure they return capacity to the market in a timely manner to start easing pressure on airfares. We would be concerned if airlines withheld capacity to keep airfares high.”
