Compare the pair. Same domestic flight, same date. Same class of travel.

The first ticket is a one-way Qantas Business Class flight from Perth to Sydney:

And this ticket includes exactly the same Qantas Business Class flight from Perth to Sydney… followed by an American Airlines Premium Economy flight to Los Angeles, and then another flight to Honolulu. And then, all the way back to Perth again via Los Angeles and Sydney.

Spot the difference? That’s right, it’s almost $600 cheaper to add on five extra flights, including two long-haul Premium Economy sectors and a return Business class flight back from Sydney to Perth at the end of the trip, with a holiday in Hawaii in between.

In fact, you could even return from Hawaii to Perth via Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles and Sydney, flying Hawaii-Dallas and Los Angeles-Sydney in Premium Economy. It would still be $365 cheaper than just booking a one-way Qantas Business class ticket from Perth to Sydney.

Admittedly, that American Airlines Premium Economy fare from Perth to Honolulu is an exceptional deal. And Qantas’ Perth-Sydney route has the most expensive Business class airfare of any domestic route in Australia.

And of course, this is all academic as to travel from Australia to Hawaii under the current conditions, you would need an outbound travel exemption to leave Australia and would need to pay for two weeks of hotel quarantine in Sydney upon your return. (This also means you wouldn’t be allowed to board the last flight on the ticket, from Sydney to Perth, without first quarantining in Sydney for a fortnight.)

But even if you didn’t want to go on holiday in Hawaii, you could still save 60% on the Perth-Sydney Business class price by adding on a flight from Sydney to Auckland (which is permitted under the current trans-Tasman travel bubble arrangement)…

If this doesn’t prove how overpriced some domestic Qantas Business class airfares are, then what does?

Matt Graham

The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 90 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course!
Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil & Kazakhstan. His interests include economics, aviation & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine.

You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @AFF Editor.