Footy fans are forking out eye-watering amounts of money just to get to the AFL grand final as the year’s biggest game faces a transport crunch because there are two non-Victorian teams playing.
Now that the Brisbane Lions have booked their place in the decider against the Sydney Swans, airports are facing bedlam as thousands of footy fans try to get to the match – on the same weekend school holidays conclude nationally.
Swans fans are being slugged as much as $1700 for a one-way ticket to Melbourne to support their club, while Brisbane Lions supporters are paying up to $3391 to get to the MCG.
And they could soar even higher as demand for tickets grows.
A flood of Sydney supporters are expected to descend on Melbourne for the AFL grand final
The Brisbane Lions complicated travel arrangements when they booked the other place in the AFL grand final, making it an entirely non-Victorian affair
Those prices were for the premium, business class options available at the best times, but the inflated prices still have many footy fans feeling the pinch.
‘Cheaper to go one way to Europe and that’s facts,’ one posted.
‘Get 10 of your mates and hire a private jet it will be cheaper,’ another commented.
‘You would just drive for that price,’ added yet another.
Others pointed out that the collision of school holidays and two interstate teams in the AFL grand final had created the crunch.
‘Same story every year, should Qantas just fly for free? You get the same prices going to any major event or when flights are almost full. Not every seat is a sale fare,’ one fan posted.
‘Grand final plus school holidays, an absolute rip and there will most likely be cancellations so best off pooling together and driving down if you’re that keen,’ added another.
Those wanting a premium experience in the Qantas business-class cabin were slugged eye-watering rates for flights to Melbourne for the grand final
Fortunately for footy fans still scrambling for flights, there are affordable options available – especially with AFL sponsor Virgin which has added 2600 seats to help transport people to the big game.
Brisbane Lions fans had a large range of options available to them as of 2pm on Tuesday afternoon.
For those looking to travel to Melbourne on Friday and return on Sunday because of work reasons, there were several options available.
Virgin was offering flights to Melbourne on Friday from $359.99 with business class options available for $830.99.
For those needing to rush back to be ready for work on Monday, flights were available $359.99.
So Lions fans who booked quickly on Tuesday and packed light could score return tickets for just over $700.
There were plenty of affordable flights available with AFL sponsor Virgin on Tuesday
There were plenty of options available as well, with almost 70 flights scheduled ranging from first thing in the morning to night flights for those coming straight from work.
These flights were highly competitive, considering you would pay $350 for a flight to Melbourne the following Friday, outside of school holidays and with no major event on.
In fact many flights departing on Friday, October 4 were considerably higher, costing almost $1000.
Those choosing the national carrier Qantas could access flights to Melbourne from Brisbane available for $660 on Tuesday, but there were limited seats remaining.
However the budget airline Jetstar had limited seats remaining from $493 on Friday and return tickets on Sunday from $587.
This compared favourably to flights the following week, which started from $356 on Friday, although return travel would be much cheaper on October 6 with flights starting from just $157.
Those with the luxury of leaving earlier in the week could grab a bargain, with flights starting from just $140 on Wednesday, September 24.
For those that wanted to spend a bit of extra time in Melbourne, return flights could be grabbed from $184 on Monday and $190 from Tuesday to Thursday.
Budget airline Jetstar was also offering a range of affordable fares, but flights were filling up quickly as of Tuesday afternoon
Sydney Swans fans wanting to fly with Qantas had the option of flights to Melbourne on Friday, September 27 from $508 and return trips on the Sunday from $590.
Trips the following weekend on the same days would set you back $320 to fly down and $260 to return on the Sunday.
There was a single seat left on Jetstar for $411 to travel down on Friday, but tickets at other times from $473. There was also a handful of return tickets available on the Sunday from $327.
Virgin passengers could fly economy for $474 on Friday, but Swans fans had fewer options than Brisbane supporters with only about 33 flights left selling tickets.
If you were willing to return home on Sunday night, there were still tickets available for $474.
It is important to note, that these flights were selling out and prices changing in real time as flights filled up. So with school holidays finishing and the AFL grand final causing greater demand, it is not advised to wait until the last minute.
