History - How much is an airfare??

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juddles

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Fellow AFF´s,

this thread is not about current issues, best seats, latest tricks, or the Qantas bottom line.

I just want to refresh my aging memory, and get people´s recollections on what airfares used to cost.

I seem to recall paying a ¨couple of thousand dollars¨ for trans-Pacific travel Chile - Australia in the early 80´s.

The aviation scene (and history) interests me greatly. Yet another facet to this thing we all love which is air travel. I would truly appreciate anyone´s input with their recollections of actual historical travel costs. Sth America - Aus, the Kangaroo route, domestic fares. From any decade.

Or point me to a thread with similar info.

To start off, can anyone tell me how much SYD - LAX would have cost in 1980? And SYD-SCL the same year??
 
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The only airfare I can remember paying from more than 10 years ago was ADL -> MAN (via KUL) on Malaysian around in 2000. I booked it less than a month in advance through Flight Centre (the first and ONLY time I will ever use Flight Centre) and it included a free night's stopover in a four-star hotel in KL on the way over, as well as transfers to and from KUL. It was a great trip, except for the Flight Centre stuff up with ticketing at the beginning. All up it cost me a little under $1200 return (no free stopover on the way back, though).

The now-mrspooky flew ADL -> MAN (via Vietnam and CDG) on Vietnam Airlines later that year or early the following year and hated every minute of it. The itinerary wasn't her desired one; it was just the only fare she could find at about a month's notice for under $2000. She paid about $1800 return.

mrpooky.
 
Moving to Australia in 2002 I paid $1650 for a return airfare LED-SYD-LED (never used the return leg, it was much cheaper than buying a one way ticket). This was a combination of Aeroflot to Hong Kong and then Qantas to Sydney. Qantas was wonderful then...you remember old economy confort kits on a lanyard? Also lots of sparking wine to help while away the journey
 
In 1975 I flew from Sydney to London return I think it was via Hong Kong, Mumbai Bahrain. It cost just over $1200 on British airways - but I did get a free travel bag.
 
CX SYD-HKG-LHR in 2004 for $2200AUD (same or cheaper fares today)
KE SYD-ICN-LHR in 2005 for $1500AUD (before Air Crash Investigations debuted!)

says a lot about the sustainability of the airline industry
 
LED-SYD-LED? One of the things on my bucket list is to fly Aeroflot :)
 
I paid $2200 SYD-SIN-FRA-LHR return on Lufthansa in about May 1992. I recall return airfares to London were all around the $2000-2500 mark with that style icon JAT being the cheapest by far at about $1700.

In 1997 I flew around the world SYD-LAX-LHR-HRE-PER-SYD for $1700 on QF/BA.

In 2009 I flew SYD-LAX return for $900.

Domestic is harder to recall. In the early-mid 90s I do remember the fares being 21, 14 and 7 day advance purchase with 21 day the cheapest. This was Ansett and Australian/QF. Compass in 1991 had open dated tickets on offer SYD-BNE for $200 return which was considered a bargain.
 
In the 80s (can't remember exactly) I paid $600 for a MEL-SYD return fare. That was more than a week's pay back then.
 
In 1989, Adl-Sin-Lhr return on SQ in Y was $2100.
 
Back in October 1986 the full economy fare SYD/MEL was $160.00 one way on Australian Airlines & prior to that it had been $147.80. It would've been the same on AN as deregulation wasn't until 1989. Because of the two airline agreement in place no other airline could fly non-stop so on that route you could get a special fare on WX (Air NSW) which operated via CBR or EW (East West) via ABX.

IIRC WX had a special fare of about $198.00 return as I remember having a weekend in MEL back in 1987 and went down on Friday and back on Sunday night (actually the same night as the Hoddle St massacre which was 9th August) and you didn't need the 7 night stay away but not sure whether you had to book as much as 30 days in advance.

The cheapest return fares were the 30 day advance purchase excursion fares (Apex) which needed a minimum stay at destination of 7 nights. I remember buying one such airfare SYD/OOL/SYD in November 1986 which was $202.00 return.
 
I can only remember two with any kind of rough accuracy.....
1983 - MEL-PER-MEL - Y on TN was circa $650 on cheapest fare
1986 - RTW - Y on QF was circa AU$1400
 
I remember booking a QF Syd LAX return for May 1991 that was $1200 via the NAB owned travel agency who's name escapes me.

Fares have certainly gone down in real terms.

Matt
 
1991 (ish/circa) paid $85 one-way on Compass Mark 2 SYD-BNE. It was for the "first flight after the last flight". After ABC TV interviewed me (sadly didn't make it to air) I wandered over to the Australian Airlines counter who advised they will sell us poor Compass non-frequent flyers a ticket for $75 (on standby). Thank you AA.

Couple of months went by (no, I wasn't on standby all that time :rolleyes: ) before it twigged "hey, don't credit cards offer refunds if your travel stuff doesn't work out?". I duly got the $85 back and came out $10 in front!
 
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