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Comair bombed out recently, which is terrible news for those paying for their own domestic air travel.

The company operated domestic British Airways flights as well as low-cost carrier Kulula and was responsible for 40% of domestic airline capacity.

Together with the surge in fuel prices, Comair’s demise has led to a massive spike in domestic flight prices. SA Flyer editor Guy Leitch said in June that “domestic air travellers should be prepared to pay three to four times more for their flight tickets”.

Some respite may be on the way, reports Business Insider SA, especially for those who are looking to fly abroad:

Fuel prices have cooled, Europe is heading into its quieter winter season, and airlines in South Africa have managed to bring more capacity online to plug the gap left by Comair’s liquidation.

International flights to long-haul destinations between September and November are expected to be 26% cheaper than they were between June to August, according to flight search data provided by Cheapflights.co.za.

The international roundtrip price for spring appears to be around R12,700 on average, according to the travel site, compared to more than R17,000 during the winter period.

Sure, it’s a saving, but it’s still bloody expensive to pop across to Europe.

I dabbled on Cheapflights.co.za and looked at Cape Town to Paris, return – leaving October 24 and returning October 27. This was the cheapest flight:

The same dates for a return flight to London:

38 hours and 25 on the way home. There’s a reason these are cheap.

When I searched for return flights the following week, the cheapest I could find to London and back was R11 350. The same dates for a return trip to Paris had a flight going for R11 378, again with a whopper of a wait on both legs.

I prefer to use Skyscanner but it’s much of a muchness.

Let’s focus on local flights:

South Africans flying domestically can also expect to pay less over the next three months, although these seasonal changes are not nearly as pronounced as on the international level.

Domestic flights between September and November are likely to be 12% cheaper than they were between June to August, according to Cheapflights.co.za, with travellers expected to pay around R2,300 on average for a roundtrip this spring.

We’ll take our savings wherever we can.

Even when the availability of seats increases, especially with regard to domestic travel, flight prices won’t drop to previous levels due to the rise in jet fuel costs.

[source:businsidersa]