Ben Squires
Travel Tips

Australians really are paying more for travel

While airfares have certainly become a lot cheaper over the years you still get the feeling that we’re paying a little more Down Under, and new research has proved it.

The latest price flight index from online travel agent Kiwi.com ranked Australia among the countries where passengers typically spend the most money on their airfares.

The index calculates the average ticket costs for every 100km of travel, taking into account high and low season flight costs over a million different journeys.

Australia was ranked at 69 of the 80 countries listed in terms of air travel affordability, with the average “cost per kilometre of travel” coming in at $39.56.

To put it in perspective, travellers in Malaysia, which was found to be the most affordable country for air travel, only had to pay $5.62 per kilometre of travel. 

Kiwi.com chief executive Oliver Dlouhy elaborated on the results, saying airline prices are always going to be a fluid sort of phenomenon: “Year on year changes can partly be attributed to fuel prices, sociopolitical shifts such as Brexit, recent elections and fluctuations in foreign exchange rates.

“The UK, for example, is seeing a larger number of Americans visit due to the weakening of the pound, whereas Egypt and Turkey saw a drop in ticket prices due to a decrease in demand due to regional turmoil.”

What’s your take? Do you think it’s fair that Australians pay more for flights? 

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Tags:
Travel, Travel Tips, Flights, Airfares