Australia: Airfares to London, Los Angeles, New York and Phuket fall to record lows

A fare war between airlines on international routes has led to Australian travellers paying just over $1000 for flights on the so-called kangaroo route to London. The record low fares to the UK and other top overseas destinations for Australians are the result of airlines boosting capacity on international routes more than 9% over the past year, outpacing the level of demand from travellers. In turn, an increase in the number of empty seats on planes has forced airlines to lower fares in the hope of stimulating demand. The largest fall in prices over the past year has been to popular destinations such as London, Los Angeles, Phuket and New York. The cheapest tickets for return flights to London have slumped 23% over the past year to A$1043, while for Los Angeles and New York they are down more than 11% to A$939 and A$1199 respectively. The prices are based on return fares sold in early September. Fares for flights to the Thai tourist destination of Phuket have more than halved to A$373, the figures from Australia's largest travel company. Flight Centre, show.<br/>