Qantas and the Western Australia (WA) State Government announced (18-May-2018) they have worked together to launch special weekend fares aimed at boosting traffic to Broome. Details include:
- Special weekend fares are available from AUD199 (USD150) one-way during high season and AUD179 (USD135) one-way during low season for flights from Perth to Broome, for travel from Aug-2018. Fares are available where travel is booked at least 60 days in advance as part of a 12 month trial, and represent a discount of more than AUD200 (USD150) for a return trip;
- Qantas will deploy an A320 aircraft on the route to replace Boeing 717s, taking advantage of spare flying time on weekends and support from the West Australian Government. The A320 aircraft are to be operated by Network Aviation for QantasLink and will be configured with all economy cabin, featuring 55 additional seats compared with the Boeing 717. In the high season, 500 discounted seats will be available per week on the A320 flights and 600 discounted seats will be available per week in the low season;
- A320 weekend deployment schedule is follows:
- High season (Jun-2018 to Oct-2018). New A320 flights will be added to the schedule on Fridays and Sundays, and the morning Saturday service will be upgauged from a 717 to an A320, offering an additional 830 seats per week on the route;
- Low season (Oct-2018 to Jun-2019). Flights upgauged from a 717 to an A320 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, an increase of 330 seats per week on the route;
- Perth-Broome schedule for the remainder of the week (Monday to Thursday) remains unchanged;
- Qantas will review the uptake and effectiveness of the offer during the 12 month trial. The carrier will maintain its discounted fares programme, which offers discounts of up to 30% off year-round fares for return flights, to Broome residents for travel to Perth. Qantas will also continue to offer regular sale fares on the route, including for travel on weekdays. [more - original PR]