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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-30kg and by length of flight) | $15.50-$52.50 (varies from 15kg-30kg and by length of flight) |
| 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 | From $4 | Up to $25 |
| 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 | $4 and up (snacks and meals) | $3.50 & 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 |
| Airline | Cancellation fee |
|---|---|
| Qantas | Fares vary depending on the flight |
| Virgin Australia | $80 per person, capped at $320 per booking |
| Jetstar | $50 per person |
| Tigerair | $80 per person, capped at $320 per booking |
| Rex | Customer Contact Centre bookings: $44 per flight sector Online bookings: $33 per flight sector |
Skyscanner
Queensland flights from $85 each way with Virgin Australia
Available on select dates from August 2020 - March 2021 to Brisbane, Cairns, Canberra, Melbourne, Sunshine Coast, Hamilton Island and more. Sample fare is Gold Coast-Sydney.
Last verified
Deal ends
Skyscanner
Australia-wide flights from $65 + one free date change
Available on select flights until 31 October 2020 with Jetstar. Destinations include Sunshine Coast, Whitsundays, Perth, Cairns, Hobart and more. Sample fare is Sydney-Ballina Byron.
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Deal 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.
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Skyscanner
Domestic flights from $99 each way with Virgin Australia
Available on select flights from August 2020 - May 2021 to Sydney, Brisbane, Hobart, Perth, Darwin, Melbourne and more. Sample fare is Sydney-Gold Coast.
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Deal ends
Kayak
Australia-wide flights from $96 return
Available on select dates from July - August 2020 to Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Townsville, Perth, Gold Coast and more. Sample fare is Melbourne-Sydney with Jetstar.
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Deal ends
Cheap Flights
USA flights from $997 return
Available on select dates from August - December 2020. Sample fare is Sydney-Honolulu with Virgin Australia. Other fights depart from Melbourne, Gold Coast, Brisbane and more.
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Budget Air
Australia flights from $160 return
Available on select dates from September 2020 - January 2021 to Brisbane, Perth and Sydney. Sample fare is Adelaide-Sydney with Jetstar. T&Cs apply.
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STA Travel
Australia-wide flights from $209 return with Virgin Australia
Available on flights from September - November 2020 to Hobart, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Sydney, Cairns and more. Sample fare is Brisbane-Proserpine. T&Cs apply.
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Deal ends
STA Travel
New Zealand flights from $414 return with Virgin Australia
Available on flights from September - November 2020 to Auckland, Queenstown and more. Sample fare is Sydney-Christchurch. T&Cs apply.
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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
iVisa
Australian ETA Visa processing fee from $20
Get the Australian ETA Visa with validity period of one year after issued. T&Cs apply.
Last verified
| Last checked | Code description | Code |
|---|---|---|
| 27 Apr 2020 | Up to 12% off worldwide flights | PAY**** |
| 9 Jul 2020 | Up to $30 off flight fees | FLI**** |
| 3 Jul 2020 | Up to $40 off flight booking fees | AIR**** |
| 3 Jul 2020 | Up to $20 off flight booking fees | JUL**** |
| 10 Jul 2020 | Queensland flights from $85 each way with Virgin Australia | ******** |
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