Yahoo Finance $19 Sydney to Melbourne: Qantas mulls bargain tickets
Flights from Melbourne to Sydney could be as cheap as $19 on the other side of the coronavirus crisis, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce has said.
Speaking during the company’s third quarter trading update, Joyce said Qantas is in a good position to ride out the crisis and that “life on the other side” could include massively discounted flight prices.
“Airfares could be half of what they are today,” he said.
“For example on Melbourne-Sydney you could see Jetstar fares of $39, you could see $19 airfares and we will still cover our cash costs.”
He also said the company has enough strength to survive without flying until December 2021.
“There’s a reason why Qantas is the longest continuous operating airline in the world. It’s very competitive and it has the DNA to adapt to the market and the environment.”
However, he said the market won’t return to former demand levels as broader consumer confidence and spending is expected to remain subdued beyond the crisis.
“We need to think about what the business needs to look like to exceed in the world – our fleet, our network and our structure – like most companies we will have to be different.”
The company today announced staff across Qantas and Jetstar will remain stood down until the end of June, while international flights will not resume before August at the very earliest.
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