Qantas has today announced an extension of its special weekend fares on flights from Perth to Broome in response to positive community feedback and strong uptake.
The initiative was as a 12-month trial with the support from the West Australian Government and designed to boost the number of people travelling to Broome.
More than 20,000 special weekend fares were purchased since the trial launched in May last year and in the winter peak, close to 90 per cent of all available discounted seats were booked.
With the extension of the initiative, customers can continue to take advantage of 500 special weekend fares from $179 one-way during the low season and 600 seats per week from $199 one-way during the high season for flights from Perth to Broome for travel from August this year, a saving of more than $200 for a return trip.*
The weekend flights – on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays – are operated by the Airbus A320 aircraft, configured as an all-Economy cabin carrying 55 additional passengers compared with the Boeing 717 aircraft used during the week. The A320 aircraft that operate on the route are used on weekdays for corporate customers in the WA resources market. These aircraft would otherwise be on the ground on weekends.
The special weekend fares are available for booking from today, for travel from 17 August 2019 at qantas.com or via Travel Agents.
Broome residents continue to have access to Qantas’ discounted fares program, which offers discounts of 20 to 30 per cent off year-round fares for return travel to Perth.
Following the success of the trial in Broome, the national carrier launched a similar initiative for flights between Perth and Exmouth.
Comments from Andrew David, Qantas Domestic CEO:
“As the national carrier, we’re pleased to continue to invest in this initiative, reinforcing our commitment to increasing tourism to and within Western Australia.
“Operating a larger aircraft has allowed us to bring more visitors to the region and we’ll be encouraging many more people to take advantage of the fares and enjoy a weekend getaway in Broome.
“We look forward to continuing to work with the West Australian Government and tourism operators to stimulate further growth in the market to ensure it is an ongoing success for travellers, tourism and local businesses in Broome and the Kimberley region.”
Comments from Paul Papalia, Tourism Minister, West Australian Government:
“The State Government, through Tourism WA, remains committed to growing regional visitation by working together with airlines and industry partners.
“The affordable airfares are important for jobs and growth in the regions. They are an incentive for visitors to use money saved on fares to extend their stay in regional WA, supporting the local economy.
“Travel between Perth and Exmouth became more affordable for thousands of visitors when discounted flights between those destinations went on sale in April.
“We’re delighted to be able to back this up with an extension of the Perth to Broome affordable fares.
“It will encourage more people to experience Broome’s beautiful tropical climate and attractions including camel rides along the beach, spectacular sunsets, the Horizontal falls and ancient dinosaur footprints.”
*High season travel is between 17 August and 16 October 2019 and 20 June 2020 – 16 August 2020. Low season travel is between 17 October 2019 to 19 June 2020. Two levels of weekend fares are available where flights are booked either 60 days or 45 days ahead of travel. A320 services are operated by Network Aviation for QantasLink.
