ACT Senator Katy Gallagher wants to know why Canberrans have to pay so much more to fly when parliament is in session. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
ACT Senator Katy Gallagher has issued a firm ‘please explain’ to Qantas over its pricing structure for flights in and out of Canberra, which regularly skyrocket during parliamentary sitting weeks.
Writing directly to Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson, Senator Gallagher, who is Finance Minister and Minister for the Public Service, issued a strongly worded letter demanding answers over the airline’s treatment of Canberra travellers.
Recently released data from the Canberra Airport Group shows airfares soar on the eve of parliamentary sitting periods, with price increases of up to 135 per cent for short flights.
The analysis shows that during sitting weeks, there is a 135 per cent markup in costs on the Melbourne-Canberra route; a 110 per cent markup on the Adelaide-Canberra route; a 99 per cent markup for Sydney-Canberra; a 92 per cent markup on Brisbane to Canberra; and a 70 per cent hike on Perth-Canberra.
Public service travel data also shows that an economy one-way flight from Sydney to Canberra can cost $745 during parliamentary sitting weeks.
Senator Gallagher described the tactic as untenable and unfair for Canberrans.
“I understand that inflated sitting week fares are often followed by steep markdowns, which suggests these are not standard market fluctuations,” Senator Gallagher said in her letter to the Qantas CEO.
“I am concerned that airfare price escalation associated with sitting weeks unfairly penalises all Canberrans, who face prohibitive costs for essential interstate travel during these times.
“The reality of these high fares means that for around 20 weeks of the year, Canberrans would find it near impossible to afford trips to see family, friends and travel for business.
“As the Minister for Finance, with the responsibility for Whole of Government travel, I have reviewed public service travel data over the period 2023 to 2025, which shows instances where fares have cost up to $745 for a one-way economy flight between Canberra and Sydney.
“I struggle to comprehend how a flight to Sydney on a Dash-8 that would average about 30 minutes could cost this amount.
“I recently caught an economy fare flight home from Sydney on 4 May, and it cost $634 one-way.”
The Minister also took issue with the high rates of cancellation for Canberra routes.
The Canberra to Sydney QantasLink route has the highest cancellation rate in the country, at 15.4 per cent, creating uncertainty for passengers who are already subject to often high prices.
“I find it untenable that Canberrans should have to endure both excessive costs and unreliable service on such an important travel corridor,” Senator Gallagher wrote.
“Catching a bus is often more reliable and cheaper than flying.
“Canberrans should not face prohibitive airfares on any route simply because government travel volumes allow airlines to maintain heightened pricing with reduced market pressure.”
Senator Gallagher’s office says it is yet to receive a response to the letter.
Qantas has pointed out to Region that, at the moment, there are fares to Canberra during parliamentary sitting weeks available from $236 between now and the end of the year.
“There are a number of factors that impact the cost of airfares, with supply and demand being a key element as well as airport charges,” a Qantas spokesperson said.
“High demand during peak periods, such as parliamentary sitting weeks, can drive up the price of airfares on routes to Canberra. As with all routes, the cheapest fares sell out early, with fares increasing as seat availability reduces.
“We acknowledge that there have been high cancellations on flights between Sydney and Canberra in recent months, with over half of these a result of adverse weather.
“There are also several programs of work underway that will further improve on-time performance and cancellation rates on the Sydney-Canberra route, including our transition to the newer Q400 aircraft and enhanced engineering capabilities.
Fares to Canberra were included in 11 Qantas domestic sales in the last 12 months.
Throughout May and June, several factors contributed to the cancellation rates, with bad weather accounting for over half of the cancellations. Additionally, 14 days in June were affected by Sydney’s single-runway operations due to winds or Canberra’s fog conditions.
Assistant Minister for Competition Andrew Leigh has also received the Canberra Airport Group’s analysis and has forwarded it to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, which has responsibility for monitoring and reporting on the domestic airline industry.
