Airfares to holiday hotspots in massive drop

Airfares to Hawaii are now 40 per cent cheaper than a year ago.

INTERNATIONAL airfares for Australian travellers are now among the lowest ever thanks to increased competition between airlines to fill seats.

A study by Flight Centre found that discount fares to popular destinations from Sydney, including Bali and Fiji, were on average about 14 per cent cheaper than a year ago.

Tom Walley, the general manager of Flight Centre’s Australian leisure business, said Hawaii was the standout for bargain hunters with the lowest return fare now 40 per cent cheaper falling from $856 to $511 due to competition between Jetstar and Hawaiian airlines.

Another hotspot is Bali with fares 27 per cent cheaper than a year ago due to Air Asia X’s entry to the route and a drop in bookings following the recent ash clouds. The cheapest return fare from Sydney was $391.

Mr Walley said increased airline capacity had coincided with short-term downturns in demand on some routes, leading to eye-catching deals for bargain hunters planning to take off to everywhere from Bali and Fiji to London and Los Angeles.

Airfares to Bali are now lower than ever. Picture: iStockSource:Getty Images

“The spotlight has recently been on trans-Tasman fares, given Air Asia X’s arrival, but the reality is that the airfare price wars we are seeing at the moment extend considerably further than New Zealand,” he said.

Apart from Hawaii and Bali, the largest declines were on the Sydney-Fiji and Sydney-Phuket routes, with the lowest fares now about 25 per cent cheaper than last year.

“As is always the case, airlines make a limited amount of seats available at the cheapest price so our advice is generally to plan ahead and to consider locking in a deal as early as possible,” said Walley.

“Bargain hunters also need to be flexible with travel dates, as the cheapest fares will typically be available for a limited time, rather than throughout the year.”

Top discounted fares (by percentage)

Sydney — Hawaii 40.3

Sydney — Bali 27.5

Sydney — Fiji 25.9

Sydney — Phuket 24.6

Sydney — London 18.5

Sydney — Auckland 14.9

Sydney — New York 10.7

Sydney — LA 8.4

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