The cost of living is dominating the headlines, but it appears there is one area where Australians are not cutting back and that is overseas travel.
The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures show that overseas departures and arrivals were up just a tad over 10 per cent on the previous year for the year ending July 2024.
It’s still a bit shy of pre-pandemic levels but an expert is labelling it ‘revenge travel’.
“The data shows us Australians are ‘revenge travelling’ despite recent economic pressures,” RMIT associate professor in finance Angel Zhong told News.com.
‘Revenge’ travelling is the trend of people hunting deals after the pandemic restrictions to compensate for lost time.
Ms Zhong said there were a few simple ways to bag a deal.
“Opt for travel destinations that offer good value for money, such as places with favourable exchange rates or a lower cost of living,” Dr Zhong said.
“Recent data shows Indonesia is a top travel destination for Australians.”
RMIT Aviation Academy operations manager Justin Brownjohn said never rush into booking a holiday.
“Absolutely never book 12 months ahead – this is when airlines automatically release their schedules, which is when the most expensive fares are made available and you’ll be at risk of fare dropping,” Mr Brownjohn said.
The thriftiest time to book domestic flights is six to eight weeks ahead and three to four months ahead for international travel.
The ABS figures as of July 2024 are:
- short-term visitor arrivals: 658,970 – an increase of 5.4 per cent on one year earlier
- short-term resident returns: 1,146,340 – an increase of 15.1 per cent on one year earlier
- total arrivals: 1,925,260 – an increase of 10.4 per cent on one year earlier
- total departures: 1,650,530 – an increase of 10.4 per cent on one year earlier.
Jetstar facing legal action
It appears Jetstar/Qantas’ legal woes have crossed the Tasman.
New Zealand authorities have launched action against Jetstar, claiming the airline misled travellers about their rights to compensation for flight delays and cancellations. Sound familiar?
The NZ Commerce Commission said communications from the budget airline to passengers in 2022 and 2023 “likely discouraged them from seeking compensation”.
“Airlines have a responsibility to not mislead consumers about their rights in the event of cancellations or delays,” commission spokeswoman Vanessa Horne said on Wednesday.
“[NZ law] is clear that airlines have a responsibility to reimburse customers for loss caused by cancellations or delays on New Zealand domestic flights that are within the airline’s control.”
The airline probably just thought it could use its Australian playbook against the Kiwis. Luckily they have a bit more backbone when it comes to compensation over there.
In fact, travellers in NZ are entitled to be reimbursed for reasonable costs caused by delays, including meals, accommodation, and anything else they had to pay to get to their destination – up to 10 times the cost of the ticket. Yep, you read that right, 10 times.
In Australia, all you can expect is contempt from gate staff and another fee to change your flights.
“The commerce commission expects large businesses to take their responsibilities under the law seriously – they must honour their obligations to consumers,” Ms Horne said.
Jetstar claims these were all errors.
“We’re deeply sorry to have let our New Zealand customers down by errors made in assessing some compensation claims for disrupted flights in 2022 and 2023, as our operations restarted following COVID,” it said in a statement.
Funny how many ‘errors’ Jetstar and Qantas make about compensation.
Have you been ‘revenge’ travelling? What are your bargain booking tips? Why not share them in the comments section below?
Also read: Travel briefs: astonishing NZ entry tax hike + new European travel fee
