Perth, Sept 24: Fremantle and Brisbane Lions supporters hoping to make a last-minute dash to the MCG for Saturday’s AFL Grand Final are facing airfares of more than $2,000 for a weekend return trip from Perth, and well over $1,000 from Brisbane, more than it would cost to fly overseas for the same weekend.
The Dockers take on the Lions at 2.30pm AEST on Saturday, which is 12.30pm in Western Australia. Brisbane is chasing its second threepeat, after its 2001–2003 run, while Fremantle is still searching for its first premiership since entering the league in 1995. It is the Dockers’ second grand final, after their loss to Hawthorn in 2013, and Brisbane’s fourth in a row.
DailyStraits checked fares on airline websites on Thursday night, Sept 24.
The cheapest option for a Perth fan was a Qantas return trip at $2,117, flying out at 5.30am on Saturday and returning at 7.25am on Sunday. The return leg alone cost $1,211.
Virgin Australia’s early-morning flights from Perth on the same days came to $2,395, while Jetstar’s cheapest option was $3,082, with all its direct Friday flights to Melbourne sold out.
Fans taking the Jetstar route would leave Perth just before midnight on Friday and change planes on the way, spending almost eight hours in transit each way.
By contrast, Jetstar’s one-way fare from Perth to Melbourne drops to $389 on Sunday, the day after the match.
Lions fans are getting a slightly better deal, but not by much. The cheapest Brisbane option found was a Virgin Australia return trip for $1,332 on its most basic Lite fare, which does not include checked baggage or seat selection. That includes a Saturday flight landing in Melbourne at 11.20am and a Sunday return that stops in Sydney on the way home. Jetstar’s return fare from Brisbane was $1,734, at $867 each way.
The same money would go much further overseas.
A DailyStraits search on Google Flights on Thursday night, for the same Saturday-to-Sunday dates, found return fares from Perth to Kuala Lumpur from $853, with AirAsia flying direct from $873, less than half the cheapest return fare to Melbourne.
Perth fans could also fly to Bali and back from $923, with direct return flights on Batik Air from $979, and on AirAsia and Jetstar from $1,009, all taking under four hours each way, about the same as the flight to Melbourne.
The gap is narrower for Lions fans, but an overseas weekend still comes out cheaper.
Google Flights showed return fares from Brisbane to Auckland from $1,075, with Jetstar flying direct at that price, while Brisbane to Bali started at $1,119.
The surge comes despite airlines adding capacity.
With few alternatives, some fans are weighing up the road trip. Brisbane to Melbourne is around 1,780km by road, while the 3,330km trek from Perth would take around three days.
Rail offers little relief either. There is no direct train from Brisbane to Melbourne, and the rail journey from Perth runs through Adelaide over several days. Qantas Group and Virgin Australia together account for roughly 98 per cent of the domestic market, leaving interstate fans with few choices when demand spikes.
For those flying in on Saturday morning, timing will be tight. The Qantas and Virgin flights from Perth land at Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport between 10.30am and 11am.
From there, the drive to the MCG takes about 29 minutes via the M2, though traffic is likely to be heavier on grand final day, and several streets around the ground, including Jolimont Street and Vale Street, will be closed from early morning. The MCG warns entry may take longer than usual and is urging fans to arrive early.
Fans who make it in time will catch Kylie Minogue, who will perform a 20-minute pre-game set from about 1.30pm. G Flip will also perform, Michael Paynter will sing the national anthem, and Mike Brady will perform Up There Cazaly during the retiring players’ motorcade. There is no halftime entertainment this year.
Both clubs have named unchanged teams for the decider. Brownlow medallist Simon Black, a member of Brisbane’s first threepeat side, will present the cup if the Lions win, while Shaun McManus, who played 228 games after debuting in Fremantle’s first season, will do the honours for the Dockers.
Fans who can’t make the trip can watch the match on Channel 7 and 7Plus. It is the only game of the season exclusive to Channel 7 and will not be shown on Kayo or Fox Sports. ABC Sport will also broadcast the match on radio and run a live blog.
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