Curse those long haul flights. Hours in the air. An unavoidable stopover. A big hit to the credit card. But from 2015, at least you should be able to cut the cost of your ticket to Australia.
It’s not the oil. The price of a barrel may have fallen faster than an England Ashes wicket, but as airlines buy fuel many months in advance, don’t expect your ticket price to take an oil-fuelled tumble anytime soon.
But from 1 April 2015 you will be able to save on one aspect of your flight: Air Passenger Duty (APD).
Lower APD
Know Before You Go (now Travel Aware), the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s travel advice campaign, publishes a range of travel advice and safety information. It highlights the ABTA Travel Trends Report which says: “Flying long haul will become more affordable in April 2015 due to the removal of APD bands C and D; this is expected to save UK passengers £200m a year.”
But what does that mean for individual passengers? Well, if you were booking your trip to Australia now, the standard rate of APD would account for £194 of your ticket price – a significant chunk unless you’re used to paying thousands for your premium seat.
From April, that surcharge drops to £142.
Bigger wings
The ABTA report also highlights the benefits of the latest generation of aircraft, such as Boeing’s Dreamliner and Airbus A380. 2015 will see them flying in greater numbers than ever before.
It’s the premium carriers who tend to be using these larger aircraft at the moment, so don’t expect an enormous price benefit from companies suddenly being able to carry more people for less. But over time they may help nudge prices lower – and there’s no denying the value of arriving in Australia not feeling like a piece of luggage.
Book your flight to Australia for April or beyond, and you should see a difference, although it’s a difference that could, as ever, become lost in the bigger lottery of ticket prices.
What’s the best price you’ve found for a flight to Australia? Tell us here.
Planning essentials for your Australian trip
