Qantas and Jetstar have added more than 30 flights and almost 8,000 seats to help fans travel to and from AFL and NRL finals, with additional capacity between Perth and Melbourne added earlier than any previous season.
Perth-Melbourne capacity added ahead of grand final
The Qantas Group first added extra capacity between Perth and Melbourne at the end of May, the earliest it has ever added flights for footy finals, and has since increased frequencies further following strong demand. Qantas has also added more than 1,000 extra seats across the Tasman to help New Zealand fans travel to Sydney for the NRL Grand Final in October.
Qantas and Jetstar remain on standby to add further capacity once teams are confirmed for each stage of the finals series. Following last year’s preliminary finals, the airlines added 27 extra flights to support Brisbane-based fans travelling to Melbourne for the grand final.
Early demand surge prompts proactive scheduling
Markus Svensson, Qantas domestic chief executive, said this year’s demand pattern has been unusual. “Footy fever has taken hold earlier this year than anyone can remember. Already we’ve seen thousands of fans book travel before their team has even made the final and we’ve added thousands of additional seats to our network,” Svensson said. Svensson noted the airlines have additional aircraft and crews on standby to add more flights as each final is locked in.
With school holidays beginning in mid-September adding to existing demand across the network, fans are being encouraged to book early to secure the best fares.
For agents booking clients travelling for AFL or NRL finals, the added capacity gives more availability across key routes during a high-demand period, though early booking remains advisable given the compressed timeframe between each final being confirmed and the following game.
