Domestic Airline Price Wars - Part 2

== July update - 2 months until the AFL Grand Final =

The challenge: flying Sydney to Melbourne and return for the AFL Grand Final on Sat Sept 25th (first flight out, last flight home), two months in advance, no major sales/promotions in progress

Qantas: Outbound $98 @ 8:05am, Inbound $79 @ 8:30pm

Cost to book in March: $178

Cost to book in July: $177

Jetstar: Outbound $75 @ 6:00am (+$2 credit card surchage), Inbound $65 @ 9:05pm (+$2 credit card surcharge)

Cost to book in March: $122

Cost to book in July: $144

Virgin Blue: Outbound $85 @ 7:00am (+$2 credit card surchage), Inbound $65 @ 9:15pm (+$2 credit card surchage)

Cost to book in March: $188

Cost to book in July: $165

The verdict:

Jetstar to Avalon still the cheapest overall. I haven't flown JetStar yet, but from what I've heard, it's nothing special. Interesting for Qantas and Virgin Blue - even though they've both introduced credit card surcharges since March (Qantas' credit card surcharge is built into the Internet fare), the fares on offer for AFL Grand Final day are actually cheaper if booked two months out than if booked six months out. So much for the concept of saving money by planning things in advance.