Qantas codeshares Air Tahiti Nui from Auckland to Papeete, with Qantas operating the trans Tasman leg. Photo / File
Qantas codeshares Air Tahiti Nui from Auckland to Papeete, with Qantas operating the trans Tasman leg. Photo / File
Fare finders have been baffled by the cost of last-minute flights across the Ditch, with some airlines charging almost double the rate others are for exactly the same trip. Sometimes, on the same plane.
With just over a month until Christmas, December and January are traditionally the most expensive times to travel.
But it is hard to remember a time when there was such a mixed bag of flights and fares. The return of a few low-cost carriers means competition is back but not soon enough to make a material difference to other fares.
Malaysian carrier AirAsia X touched back down in Auckland this month, with introductory prices across summer from $240 from AKL to Sydney. However demand sees one-way economy fares peak at more than $600. Jetstar's daily service between the two harbour cities currently peaks at $929 over New Year.
Fares with the national carriers are even more expensive. Qantas and Air New Zealand's cheapest one-way fares cost more than $1000 at peak times this summer.
Last week Air New Zealand said it was looking to add more seats to bring down costs, after backlash for carry-on-only fares costing as much as Business Class seats.
However the airline said that high demand and lack of seats meant there was little it could do to offer the fares any cheaper.
"Our advice to customers is to book early to get the best possible fares."
Budget carrier Air Asia X restarted its Sydney to Auckland route this month. Photo / File
Qantas' similarly pricey one-way fares are peaking at $1015 ahead of Christmas.
So, it may be a surprise to see some airlines still offering the same route for less than half that price.
Even more surprising is the fact that they are selling seats on the same planes.
Air Tahiti Nui operates a code share agreement with Qantas selling seats on Qantas aircraft but at a fraction of the cost of the operating airline.
An economy fare on QF148, which Air Tahiti Nui runs as TN1421 is $522 cheaper when bought via the Pape'ete-based airline.
$493 rather than $1015 for the same seat.
So how is it that Air Tahiti Nui is able to offer the fares for so much less on planes it doesn't operate? Sharing aircraft between French Polynesia and Australia, via Auckland, Air Tahiti is able to sell seats on transtasman flights operated by Qantas.
However these fares don't reflect the change in costs that operator Qantas says it has seen over the past few months.
Normally there is a slight difference between booking directly and via a codeshare partner. It is often more expensive to not book directly.
However this drastic difference shows just how much higher the operating costs are for Qantas than predicted.
Last week Air New Zealand said that a "significant increase in fuel costs, combined with inflation" were acting on top of seasonal demand to force airfares up.
It is understood that airlines in codeshare agreements set their own prices but it is up to the operating partner to honour fares sold.
The airlines have been contacted for comment regarding fare difference.
Latam also flies a daily Sydney to Auckland connection, as part of the Sydney to Santiago stopover. Photo / Lucas Souza, Unsplash
Ditch Hopper: the most and least expensive transtasman carriers this Christmas
