Australia, there’s never been a better time to spread your wings. International airfare prices are on a downhill spiral, with the average cost of flights now 13 per cent cheaper than this time last year. If you haven’t already snapped up a steal from Qantas’ recent mega-flight sale, now’s the time to start planning your next getaway.
Aussies have truly embraced their travel freedoms in recent years, making up for the time spent cooped up at home during that pesky pandemic. It seems like every Australian and their dog has jetted off to Japan or Europe, but not without paying a steep fee. To cash in on the high demand and recover two years’ worth of revenue from cancelled flights, airlines worldwide raised their prices to sky-high levels. After two years of these silly expensive fares, the price of air travel finally began to stabilise in early 2024 – and recent figures indicate that this downward trend is continuing.
According to Flight Centre, flights from Australia to popular international destinations have dropped in price by an average of 13 per cent since 2023. This is music to our ears, especially for those dreaming of a getaway to Indonesia, Greece and Italy – which seems to be just about everyone right now.
Prices for flights to Indonesia dropped 18 per cent from 2023 to 2024, saving Aussies an average of $182 per return trip. Just imagine all of the beachside pad thai you could feast on with that extra cash. Airfares to Greece dropped by 13 per cent, equating to $389 in savings, while flights to Italy also experienced a 13 per cent decrease, saving Aussies an average of $365 per trip. Looking elsewhere across the globe, airfares from Australia to the USA, Japan and France fell by an average of 11 per cent, while flights to the UK and New Zealand dropped nine per cent year on year over the same period.
Flight Centre Managing Director Australia James Kavanagh said: “We’re still not seeing pre-Covid prices but it’s the fourth consecutive quarter that airfares have decreased across the board and something we hope will continue as airlines introduce new routes and bring back some familiar ones to our shores.”
If you're keen to book a cheap flight ASAP, Qantas is currently slinging discounted flights to almost 30 destinations around the world – but you’ll need to act fast, as the sale ends on August 5 at 11.59pm AEST. For the ultimate savings, check out our list of the best budget-friendly travel spots in Australia.
Here are the countries where international airfare prices have dropped the most from 2023 to 2024:
- Indonesia
- Greece
- Italy
- USA
- France
- Japan
- India
- New Zealand
- UK
- Spain
Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Australia newsletter for more news, travel inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox.