Mid West residents could be overpaying for flights after June with capped airfares released ‘very shortly’

Capped airfares will soon be released for the second half of the year, but regional residents could currently be paying too much for flights after July 1.

The cheaper fares for the second half of the year have not been released since the Regional Airfare Zone Cap scheme was extended at the end of last year.

Mid West residents have reported booking tickets unaware that they did not yet have access to discounted fares.

“There is widespread confusion about when capped fares will be available, with people already booking flights under the mistaken belief that the scheme is already in place.,” Nationals WA leader Shane Love said.

Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said the State Government understood how critical affordable airfares were for regional families, and the capped fares would be released “very shortly”.

“Prior to tickets being made available under the updated scheme, deed agreements need to be signed by the six participating airlines,” she said.

“We expect all deeds to be finalised this week and for the new cap fares to be loaded into airline booking systems very shortly.”

Mr Love said the fares must be released immediately, and for regional communities, affordable air travel was an essential service, not a luxury.

“Rita Saffioti’s botched handling of the Regional Airfare Zone Cap has left regional travellers stranded and out of pocket,” he said.

The scheme has provided more than 675,000 cheaper flights since it was launched in 2022. It allows regional residents to book return flights from $199 one-way for travel in zone one, and $299 one-way for zone-two travel.

Zone one includes areas less than 1000km from Perth, covering much of the Mid West, while zone-two destinations are more than 1000km from Perth.

The State Government announced in December the scheme would be extended to 2031, with changes coming into effect from July 1, including increased prices for in-demand flights. The price bump would see residents paying $265 one-way for zone-one travel, and $385 one-way from zone two.

“People are making travel decisions months in advance for medical appointments, work, education and family commitments. Yet Labor’s delays mean they could end up paying hundreds of dollars more through no fault of their own,” Mr Love said.

Ms Saffioti responded, saying the Nationals’ attacks on this scheme “ring hollow”, saying the party did nothing to rein in regional airfares during their time in government.