THE cost of flights from Orange to Brisbane and Melbourne has decreased since the services were introduced, but while the drop in price has meant more travel for some, residents have ongoing concerns as to whether non work-related trips to the major cities were worthwhile.
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One year ago return Fly Corporate flights between Melbourne and Orange cost up to $649, but passengers can now do the same trip for around $400 at certain times.
The lowest fare for passengers flying between Orange and Brisbane with the same carrier was $259 each way when the route was first introduced in February 2017. Two years on fares are available for $199.
While 75 percent of the 200 respondents to a Central Western Daily poll agreed $400 return tickets to Brisbane and Melbourne meant they'd consider flying to those destinations for holidays, they also noted sharp price increases if those flights were not booked early.
POLL: Have your say …
- Poll conducted by polldaddy
A lack of weekend flying options was also a source of frustration, and one Facebook user pointed out the cost to change the date of a Fly Corporate flight was more than the cost of the flight itself.
"I called Fly Corporate to move the date of my Melbourne return flight forward one day - with a few months notice - and they wanted $300 to change my flight," K'La Sherwood said, adding, "I won't be using them again".
Sue-Ellen Hales booked a flight this week for her elderly mother, Marion Hales, to fly to the Sunshine Coast to attend her daughter's university graduation ceremony in April.
If you book a late one, you're going to get ripped off.
- Sue-Ellen Hales
She said six-weeks out from the trip she was able to purchase the low-fare ticket out of Orange, but the return ticket was so expensive she ended up paying $566 return.
"If you book a late one, you're going to get ripped off," she said.
Ms Hales said she's done the trip to the Central West "thousands of times" to visit her family. She said she usually flies to Sydney and then connects to Orange, but for under $200 she didn't want her mum to have to go through that stress.
"The flights don't line up. You end up sitting in the airport for hours," she said, "and $199 is awesome".
Eight months ago Orange City Council entered into a five-year contract with Regional Express which included the provision of a $109 flight to Sydney. Prior to that the cheapest fare available was $165.
Orange Regional Airport operates 25 return flights to Sydney each week, four to Melbourne and four to Brisbane.
Passenger usage has increased significantly over the last two years, with more than 70,000 flying in or out of Orange last year, compared with around 57,000 the year before.
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