Government increases price of some flights to Perth under Regional Airfare Zone Cap scheme

The cost of some return flights to Perth will increase by $132 for Kalgoorlie-Boulder residents under the State Government’s revised policy.

One-way flights booked through the Regional Airfare Zone Cap scheme will be capped at $265 for zone one locations less than 1000km from Perth and $385 for zone two locations more than 1000km from Perth.

The changes will apply to travel from July 1 next year.

Price increases will apply to high-demand or last-minute flights, and current one-way pricing of $199 for zone one and $299 for zone two will only apply to low-demand flights and flights booked well in advance.

Kalgoorlie-Boulder falls into the first category, as do Albany, Esperance, Geraldton, Laverton, Leonora and Wiluna.

The Department for Transport website defined “high demand periods” as school holidays, peak travel seasons and popular fly-in-out travel times, and defined “last minute” as a booking made less than 48 hours after the scheduled flight time.

Under the revised plan, airlines will be able to choose to offer cheaper regional cap fares than the set maximums.

More than 677,000 limited flight tickets have been booked since the scheme launched in 2022.

The government has committed $122 million to support the extension of the revised program until June 2031.

Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said the Government was securing the future of the program by implementing these changes.

“Cheaper flights for local residents are here to stay as part of our Government’s commitment to providing cost of living relief for WA families,” he said.

Bookings under the current plan will remain open for travel until June 30, 2026, and bookings under the updated plan will open for travel in the new year from July 1.