Australian travellers will be the big winners from the latest wave of airfare discounting sparked by Jetstar International’s arrival, according to Flight Centre Limited.
Flight Centre Limited marketing general manager Colin Bowman said the introductory fares had already proved popular with the company’s customers and would open the door to further savings on package holidays and possibly other airlines.
He said the Jetstar airfares and a range of exclusive Flight Centre holiday packages were promoted today in advertising campaigns, in the company’s shops throughout the country and through special electronic news bulletins to coincide with the launch.
“We have been working closely with Jetstar to ensure our customers can take advantage of these special airfare offers,” Mr Bowman said.
“In addition, we have been able to create some exclusive package holiday bargains for our customers by combining Jetstar’s new international fares with our own accommodation specials.”
Mr Bowman predicted that Jetstar International’s arrival could also lead to increased price competition on international routes, thus delivering greater savings to travellers and growing the overall tourism market.
“As we have seen historically, established carriers are very keen to compete on price and will typically respond with special offers of their own.
“That was certainly the case in the Australian domestic market when Virgin Blue and Jetstar launched.
“The end result was some fantastic deals for the Australian travelling public and a windfall for tourism operators in general because the new carriers effectively grew the market by encouraging more people to fly.”