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North Queensland Cowboys (and Brisbane Broncos) fans hoping to travel from Townsville to Sydney for the NRL grand final will either have to shell out big or take the 20-hour roadtrip to the NSW capital if they want to watch the game.
Flights from Townsville and Cairns have spiked in price, with some fares costing over $2000 return for those wanting to fly in for the game.
2015 NRL GRAND FINAL KICKOFF TIME
Depending on which day you choose to fly in and the carrier, fares are more and less in the $1-2000 range, a marked increase from the usual price.
As an example, if you search the weekend following, fares start at around $480 return, and don’t go above $800.
If you want to arrive into Sydney from Townsville or Cairns on the Sunday, but slightly after the NRL grand final kicks off, fares already drop around 50%.
And this isn’t even taking into account the fact that many of these fares require a transfer and would have fans travelling for around 5-6 hours, just to make it to Sydney in a hope of getting to ANZ Stadium in time.
Add on the cost of accommodation, which would no doubt be at a premium as well, and you have a pretty expensive weekend for fans of the Cowboys.
The stories are similar for other parts of the region, including Mackay.
Aimee Barclay spoke to the Mackay Mercury.
“It’s about $2000 each (to fly to Sydney and back),” Mrs Barclay said.
“We thought about driving but we have a two-year-old. It would be a pain.
“We’re going to have to sell them.”
There were also callers on ABC Radio yesterday from the North, complaining about the absurd lift in prices in grand final week.
When searching the various airlines for flights this Sunday from Townsville to Sydney, sights like this are what you’ll see.
That’s Virgin, and here’s Qantas and Jetstar.
Along with this.
If you search popular flight site Skyscanner, you’re cheapest option is an eight-hour marathon stretch with two stops for about $900. But it’s not a tempting journey.
There’s no doubt demand is extremely high, with it being the long weekend in NSW, the last week of school holidays.
But it does leave a sour taste for lots of Cowboys and Broncos fans, whose members tickets to the grand final only went on sale recently.
Predictably, this has angered the denizens of the social media world.
@brentread_7 do you think airlines will put on more flights for fans in Townsville & Bris to attend the GF?
— Mike M (@michaeldarren79) September 26, 2015
Why do flights suddenly increase in price from Townsville to Sydney for NRL Grand Finals?
— Sandra (@GlaisterSandra) September 27, 2015
One way flights from Townsville to Sydney next weekend already jacked up to $900+
— Dan Ginnane (@DanGinnane) September 26, 2015
There has been no word from any of the airlines yet as to whether special flights would be put on for Cowboys fans hoping to travel to the grand final, although this tweet from Qantas indicates there already has been.
@LarneyLoo Hi, we've released extra flights between Sydney and Townsville and this is being reviewed. Pearl
— Qantas (@Qantas) September 28, 2015
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