The prices of Qantas and Rex flights out of Griffith is sky high. Photo: Griffith City Council.
Return flights from Griffith to Sydney can now cost well over $1000, putting financial strain on families who need to travel at short notice.
Nutritionist Cass Irvin posted on social media a quoted price of $1154 for an upcoming trip to see her son in hospital, saying it was comparable to the cost of flying from Sydney to Bali.
“Prices just keep going up, I’ve heard of a friend who flew return Sydney to Fiji for $700, but we are paying more than that. We really are at the mercy of these airlines, it’s price gouging. It just shows how disadvantaged country people are,” she told Region while driving back from Sydney, having chosen not to fly.
Griffith is serviced by two airlines – Qantas and Rex – both of whom only fly to Sydney.
If you need to travel from Griffith to Sydney on Sunday 14 September and be back the next day for work, it will cost you $1309 to fly on Qantas and $940 on Rex Airlines (assuming you book through travel website Expedia). In comparison, flights from Wagga to Sydney on the same dates are half those prices.
Griffith Can Assist provides financial support to patients who have to travel to Sydney for medical treatment. President Olga Forner says the rising cost of flights is putting added stress on families.
“Over the past 12 months, we’ve noticed the prices have been really high,” she said.
“It’s not easy, but it’s something we’ve had to handle for months.”
Ms Forner says she always looks to buy flights as far in advance as possible, when return flights can cost between $400 and $600.
“But it’s not always possible to book in advance,” she says.
“If a patient is transported to Sydney by air ambulance after an emergency, the family might want to be there when the patient arrives or soon after. That’s when prices are the worst, when you need to go as soon as possible.”
Businesswoman Sarah Armstrong has also noted the high price of flights from Griffith, agreeing it is often cheaper to go overseas from Sydney.
She says Griffith City Council’s recent decision to introduce paid parking at the airport will impose an added burden on families.
Qantas says there has been no increases in flight prices to and from Griffith over the past few months.
The airline claims return airfares above $1000 are rare and only occur if you book a flight at very short notice when only a few spots are left on the plane.
The national carrier says there are one-way fares from Griffith to Sydney this week from as low as $244 and that during a network sale in August, one-way prices were down to $209.
Qantas says it has a discounted compassionate fare program to make travel easier for customers when they need support the most.
Region asked Rex Airlines why flights were so expensive and if it had any advice for customers wanting cheaper fares, but it did not respond.
Ms Forner says the rising cost of flights is putting immense pressure on her organisation, which spent more in the past year to help families than ever before.
She says Can Assist is always looking for donations, which can be made through its website. The team is at new offices at Room 10 of the Griffith Community Centre on Olympic Street every Monday to Thursday, from 10 am to noon.
