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While everyone loves bagging a flight bargain, extras like checked baggage and that wine you’ll drink after take off can quickly make that cheap ticket double – or even triple – in price.
To save you time and cash, we’ve come up with a handy guide to show you how much you should expect to pay for extra luxuries aboard domestic flights with the five main Australian carriers: Qantas, Virgin Australia, Jetstar, Tigerair and Rex.
| Airline | Carry-on | Carry-on luggage upgrade | 1st checked bag | 2nd checked bag |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qantas | Free (up to 7kg) | N/A | Free (up to 23kg) | $35 in advance, $70 at airport (up to 23kg) |
| Virgin Australia | Free (up to 7kg) | N/A | Free (up to 23kg) | $35 in advance, $70 at airport (up to 23kg) |
| Jetstar | Free (up to 7kg) | $14 (up to 14kg) | $15-$79 (varies from 15kg-40kg and by length of flight) | N/A |
| Tigerair | Free (up to 7kg) | $15 (up to 12kg) | $15.50-$52.50 (varies from 15kg-40kg and by length of flight) | N/A |
| Rex | Free (up to 7kg) | N/A | Free (up to 15kg) | N/A |
| Airline | Economy seat | Emergency exit or extra leg room |
|---|---|---|
| Qantas | Free | $60 |
| Virgin Australia | Free | $10-$175 |
| Jetstar | $5-$15 | $19-$35 |
| Tigerair | $4-$9 | $15-$20 |
| Rex | Free | $4.80 |
| Airline | Meals and snacks | Drinks |
|---|---|---|
| Qantas | Free | Free coffee, tea, water and soft drinks at all times; free wine and beer on weekday evening CityFlyer flights; beer and wine $6 on other flights |
| Virgin Australia | Free | Free coffee, tea and water at all times. Free beer, wine, cider and soft drinks 5pm-7pm (Monday to Friday) |
| Jetstar | $4 and up (snacks and meals) | $4 and up (hot, cold and alcoholic available) |
| Tigerair | $3.50 and up (snacks and meals) | $3 & up (hot, cold and alcoholic) |
| Rex | N/A | N/A |
| Airline | Cost | In-seat or on a device? |
|---|---|---|
| Qantas | Free | In-seat |
| Virgin Australia | Free | On a device with an app |
| Jetstar | $10 | On a Jetstar device |
| Tigerair | N/A | N/A |
| Rex | N/A | N/A |
Skyscanner
Jetstar sale: Australia-wide flights from $29 each way
Available for travel from February - March 2020. Sample fare is Melbourne-Sydney. Other destinations include Adelaide, Ballina, Hobart, Launceston, New Castle, Brisbane, Whitsunday and more.
Last verified
Deal ends
Virgin Australia
Hong Kong flights from $549 return
Available on select dates from February - November 2020. Sample fare departs from Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra and Gold Coast.
Last verified
Deal ends
Virgin Australia
Up to 30% off international flights
Available for flights on select dates from January - December 2020. Destinations include Los Angeles, Fiji, Hong Kong, Bali, New Zealand and more.
Last verified
Deal ends
Virgin Australia
Australia-wide flights from $75 each way
Available for flights on select dates from February - September 2020. Sample fare is Ballina Byron-Sydney.
Last verified
Deal ends
Virgin Australia
USA flights from $949 return
Available for flights on select dates from February - September 2020. Sample fare departs from Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide, Melbourne or Adelaide to Los Angeles. Destinations include Las Vegas, San Francisco, New York, Orlando, Seattle and more.
Last verified
Deal ends
Skyscanner
TigerAir sale: Australia wide flights from $56 each way
Available on select flights from 27 January - 4 April 2020. Destinations include Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and more. Sample fare is Sydney-Gold Coast.
Last verified
Deal ends
Virgin Australia
Fiji flights from $599 return
Available on select dates from February - June 2020. Sample fare departs from Sydney and Brisbane. Other flight departs from Adelaide, Canberra, Melbourne and Perth.
Last verified
Deal ends
Virgin Australia
Domestic flights from $79 each way
Available for travel between January and October 2020. Destinations include Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra and more. Sample fare is Ballina-Sydney.
Last verified
Deal ends
Virgin Australia
Up to 10% off worldwide flights with code
Valid for travel until 29 June 2020. Discount applies to Getaway, Elevate, Premium Economy, Business Saver and Business fares. Minimum of 20-day advance purchase. T&Cs apply.
Last verified
Coupon code ends
Kayak
Up to 35% off flights worldwide
Subscribe to Kayak newsletter and receive personalised private deals of up to 35% off. Destinations include Europe, Asia, America, Australia and more. T&Cs apply.
Last verified
Skyscanner
Australia wide flights from $115 each way with Qantas
Available on select travel dates from 24 February - 24 June 2020. Sample fare is Gold Coast-Sydney. Destinations include Coffs Harbour, Melbourne, Mackay, New Castle, Rockhampton and more.
Last verified
Deal ends
iVisa
Australian ETA Visa processing fee from $20
Get the Australian ETA Visa with validity period of 1 year after issued. T&Cs apply.
Last verified
Virgin Australia
Auckland flights from $219 each way
Available for flights on select dates between February - September 2020. Sample fare departs from Brisbane, Melbourne, Newcastle or Sydney.
Last verified
Deal ends
Skiddoo
Virgin Australia sale: Domestic flights from $70 each way
Available on select travel from February - August 2020. Destinations include Cairns, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Brisbane, Perth and more. Sample fare is Sydney-Gold Coast.
Last verified
Deal ends
STA Travel
USA flights from $899 return with Virgin Australia
Available for travel between 3 February - 31 October 2020. Sample fare departs from Melbourne. T&Cs apply.
Last verified
Deal ends
Virgin Australia
Up to 15% off business flights with code
Available for travel on select dates excluding blackout dates 9–13 April 2020. Discount applies to all destinations. Includes 10% off for Getaway, Elevate and Business Saver. Minimum of 20-day advance purchase applies. T&Cs apply.
Last verified
Coupon code ends
STA Travel
Japan flights from $599 return
Available for travel until November 2020. Includes Osaka, Fukuoka, Sapporo Chitose flights with Japan Airlines, Qantas, Virgin Australia, Malaysia Airlines, Singapore Airlines and more. Sample fare is Melbourne-Tokyo with Philippine Airlines. T&Cs apply.
Last verified
Deal ends
Cheap Flights
New Zealand flights from $141 each way
Available on select 2020 dates. Sample fare is Melbourne-Auckland with Jetstar. Other flights with Virgin Australia, Air New Zealand, Qantas, Emirates and more. T&Cs apply.
Last verified
Skiddoo
Domestic flights from $184 return
Valid for travel until January 2020. Sample fare is Melbourne–Hobart. Destinations include Canberra, Sydney, Adelaide, Gold Coast, Brisbane, Perth and more.
Last verified
Deal ends
Budget Air
Extra $5 off your next booking
Subscribe to BudgetAir enewsletter and receive extra $5 discount of your next booking. Destinations include Europe, Asia, Australia and more. T&Cs apply.
Last verified
| Last checked | Code description | Code |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Nov 2019 | Up to 10% off worldwide flights with code | FGZ**** |
| 15 Jan 2020 | Up to $24 off fees on Ho Chi Minh City flights | SGN**** |
| 15 Jan 2020 | Up to $24 off fees on New Delhi flights | DEL**** |
| 15 Jan 2020 | Up to $24 off fees on Cancun flights | CUN**** |
| 14 Jan 2020 | Extra $50 off worldwide flights | NYE**** |
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Last year we Flew Tigerair to Cairns we booked online with them, and were charged a booking fee of $17 each and an express fare fee of $28 each, why are these charges not shown in your write up? and are there any other airlines charging these type of fees?
Hello John,
Thank you for your inquiry.
Booking and Service fee for credit card or debit card bookings is per person per booking and is non-refundable. The Booking and Service Fee covers a range of costs, activities, fees and charges in relation to the booking, including (among other things) the reasonable costs of accepting card payments. While the Express Fare option packages the ability to choose your seat and priority boarding (which Tigerair calls “queue jump”) in a single bundle. Both fees were detailed at the point of booking transaction.
Currently, we don’t have a summary of these fees per airline. Therefore, we recommend that you read the fine print on your booking transaction and check airline reviews on how to minimize them.
Hope this clarifies.
Cheers,
Jonathan