Qantas launches huge sale with prices slashed on one million seats – and introduces two new routes on its budget airline Jetstar
Qantas has announced a travel bonanza with reduced airfares and launched a new flight route for its budget airline Jetstar.
Jetstar announced on Monday it would introduce two new trans-Tasman routes with flights from Queensland to New Zealand.
Planes will begin flying from Maroochydoore to Auckland in December, while flights from Cairns to Christchurch will start from April next year.
The budget airline has launched a 24-hour sale campaign to celebrate the announcement, while parent company Qantas has slashed prices on a million domestic flights.
Queensland Tourism Minister Michael Healy said the new routes launched by Jetstar were a huge win for holidaymakers.
Tickets for flights between Cairns and Christchurch (pictured) start from $229, with the flight discount part of a 24-hour sale campaign launched by the budget airline on Monday.
The sale also includes reduced airfares on flights from Maroochydore, on the Sunshine Coast to Auckland (pictured) from $215
“We are pleased to see that another international service has been booked to Cairns with a three-year commitment from Jetstar for three weekly flights from Christchurch to Cairns starting in April 2025,” he said.
“The flights will go some way to easing the pain of Bonza Airlines losing the local market.”
Tickets for flights between Cairns and Christchurch start from $229.
Queenslanders can choose from more than 130,000 cheap seats when services start.
Sale applies to one-way fares only and does not include checked baggage. All other conditions apply.
Meanwhile, Qantas has put almost a million domestic flights on sale with fares starting from $109 one-way between the Gold Coast and Sydney.
Prices on more than 30 routes have been reduced to less than $150, including flights from Brisbane to the Whitsunday Coast from $129.
Flights from Adelaide to Melbourne cost just $139, while a trip from Albury, on the NSW-Victoria border, to Sydney costs just $149.
Passengers flying business class can also choose from discounted airfares with flights from Canberra to Melbourne starting from $399.
Other discounted fares include business class seats from Brisbane to Sydney from $449.
Aussies can book one-way tickets from the Gold Coast (pictured) and Sydney from just $109 as part of Qantas’ one million seat sale
Qantas has slashed prices to less than $150 on 30 domestic routes, including flights from Brisbane to the Whitsunday Coast from $129 (stock image)
Discounted seats will be available until 11:59pm on Sunday 30 June unless they sell out earlier.
Jetstar Group CEO Stephanie Tully said the new flight routes will give the airline its biggest boost in more than a decade.
“We are excited to expand our operations in Queensland with the launch of new trans-Tasman services from Cairns and the Sunshine Coast,” Ms Tully said.
“The new services will bring more Kiwi tourists to the state, boosting the tourism economy and supporting local tour operators, hotels and hospitality venues.”
The new flight routes are the 33rd and 34th itineraries to be funded by the Queensland Government’s $200 million Attracting Aviation Investment Fund.
The program was created in 2022 to help tourism entrepreneurs in the Sunshine State recover from the effects of the Covid pandemic that brought international travel to a standstill.
The Cairns to Christchurch service will commence in April 2025 with flights operating twice a week before increasing to three times a week.
The Sunshine Coast to Auckland service runs on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
More than 1.2 million Australians visit New Zealand every year, making Australia the largest overseas tourism market in New Zealand.