History - How much is an airfare??

[trentusjuventus]

A few from rough memory:

1992 June/July school holidays MEL-PER return was around $400pp
2002 Nov-Jan (2003)I did a oneworld RTW through STA in Y MEL-SIN-LHR-TXL-LHR-YUL, then overland myself and picked up YVC-LAX-MEL. Cost was somewhere around $1800 plus taxes of about $400.
2004 Jan-Feb I went the other way MEL-LAX picked up in MIA-LHR-FCO-VCE-LHR-BKK-MEL for somewhere in the order of $1550 plus taxes again of around $400.
2006 Feb MEL-TPE on SQ was $1050. This price has only gone up slightly (if at all) over the years.

 

[kelvedon]

In 1968 a single child fare on Swissair LHR-BSL cost (my parents) £12 or $27 at 1968 exchange rates. That was a cheap night fare leaving LHR about Midnight. I still have the ticket.....somewhere.

 

[dajop]

What is interesting is the value of the money used to buy these fares, given purchasing power at the time, probably the best estimate is using the RBA inflation calculator. So in "2013 dollars" the value of a selection of fares people have quoted are:

1968 LHR-BSL (child economy one way) $305
1974 SYD-PER (one way) $5,200
1975 SYD-LHR (return, Y) $7,800
1983 MEL-PER (return, economy) $1,900
1986 SYD-MEL (one way full Y) $387
1989 ADL-LHR (return, economy SQ) $4,060
1991 SYD-LAX (return, economy) $2,095
1993 PER-LHR (return, business) $11,900
1997 RTW (QF/BA) $2,600

I'll add a couple more:
1994, SYD-MEL return (AN, 21 day adv. purch, stay sat night) was $229, now ~$380
Nov 1992, MEL-LHR return with free side trip to Europe (BA), was $1550, now ~$2,700

 

[ReLoad]

In March 2014 I flew MEL-SIN-MEL on QF for $350 return and got enough points for a toaster. Ah how I miss the olden days.........

 

[garybatz]

My first overseas trip was in Y from Brisbane to San Francisco, way back in 1986. I recall it cost around $1500, which seemed like a huge amount at the time.

 

[Warks]

To compare pricing I remember Apple Macs were around $4000-6000 in 1988! Back when I was earning $25K.

 

[serfty]

1984 for the footy in SYD - "Airlines of NSW" (AN) Fokker MEL-SYD-MEL via ABX $208 - had to have a Sat. night away.

 

[toowongman]

December 1990 SYD-LAX (UA) LAX-JFK-PHL-STL-LAX (TWA) LAX-SYD (UA) $1983 (all Y)
Easter 1992 CBR-SYD-OOL with TN. Walk-up fare was $229, however seated in business on the 727 to OOL. How I miss t-tails.

 

[DElliott]

Still have the receipt for a one way London - Paris (bus) Paris to Adelaide via Bahrain/Bangkok/Singapore/Sydney (Thai International) /Adelaide (Ansett) cost 347 STG in 1979.
From memory it was a similar amount in AUD to get to Europe (Athens) from Adelaide in 1978.

 

[blackcat20]

Wow. I did BNE-LAX-BNE in 2009 (Sept) for marginally under $1000 in Y with QF.

EDIT......Oct changed to Sept. Sorry, all by memory, which has seen better days

The LAX fares took a tumble in 2009 when Virgin and Delta started flying the route as I recall. QF had fares as low as a tad over $900 rtn for SYD-LAX in September. I know we got four tickets for less than $4000.

Sure did. I did MEL-LAX-JFK-LAX-MEL for $1300 on QF.

 

[robd]

If my memory serves me correctly, my first points redemption was on Ansett Airlines in 2001 from points earned on my Westpac CC. I don't think you had to transfer them over from Westpac to the airline FF account. Perhaps someone else can recall, but I think you nominated that they went directly to Ansett? Pretty sure my return flight MEL-DPS was 25,000 pts, but can't recall if any $ were payable as taxes. We were unsure whether we were going to be able to get the flight home, when the poo hit the Ansett fan. Further to the Ansett issue, it was a memorable flight for another wrong reason, when I switched to the radio on the flight home to hear the news reporting the happenings in the USA with a couple of aircraft "crashing". It was September 11, 2001. When our flight landed in MEL at 04:30 ish, I remember asking airport staff what the heck was going on in the world.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

If my memory serves me correctly, my first points redemption was on Ansett Airlines in 2001 from points earned on my Westpac CC.

Yes directly to AN. When Ansett went belly up, Westpac began their own scheme.....Altitude.