Tasman air fares set to rise soon

Press, 28 January 1988, Page 5

Tasman air fares set to rise soon

By

LES BLOXHAM

travel editor Travellers planning to fly the Tasman should buy their tickets this week.

According to reliable sources in Wellington, fares are expected to go up 6 to 7 per cent on tickets issued from Monday for travel after the end of February. Air New Zealand will probably release details of the increases early next week. It is understood that a normal full-rate economy ticket from Christchurch to Sydney and back will go up about $6O — from $964 to $1024. The cheaper round-trip epic ticket for the same trip will cost close to $7OO — up $4O. A ChristchurchBrisbane round-trip epic ticket will go up from $749 to $BOO.

The airlines appear to be cashing in on Expo fever. Recently they abolished the seasonal offpeak epic rate ($656) to Brisbane. Now this latest increase, has, in effect, pushed up the fare about $l4O in two months. Australians also face increases for flights to New Zealand, but according to a Sydney contact, the cost of their tickets will continue to be more than 25 per cent cheaper than those sold in New Zealand for the same journey. Australians will pay about $3OO less than New Zealanders to make a return flight across the Tasman on normal economy

fares. A Sydney-Christ-church-Sydney full-rate economy ticket will cost about $730 in Australia. However, a church-Sydney-Christ-church ticket bought in New Zealand will cost more than $lOOO. This differential is ex-, pected to provide a strong incentive for travellers on full-rate (non-discounted) tickets to buy a one-way fare from New Zealand and their much cheaper ticket home when they are in Australia. They will save about $l5O on present exchange rates as well as the new $5 Australian immigration tax.