Australian travellers—and the companies that move them—woke up to a torrent of discounted airfares as five major carriers launched Black-Friday promotions overnight. Qantas, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Fiji Airways and Cathay Pacific have all released cut-price inventory for travel between February and November 2026, with economy return tickets on some routes falling below pre-pandemic levels.
Qantas has folded the deals into its newly-minted “Travel Week” campaign, offering Sydney–Denpasar returns from A$599 and Perth–Singapore returns from A$519. Meanwhile, Qatar Airways is dangling Melbourne–Barcelona returns from $1,719 and deeply discounted business-class fares on its ultra-long-haul network. Virgin Australia has piled in, shaving up to 15 % off Qatar-operated sectors and awarding triple Velocity points on select bookings.
![Black-Friday aviation bonanza slashes international fares from Australia]()
Singapore Airlines’ Australasian arm is matching with economy fares to Singapore from A$835, while Fiji Airways is targeting the leisure-cum-corporate market with Los Angeles returns from A$1,175 and Tokyo-NRT returns from A$975. Notably, Emirates has signalled it will stay on the sidelines, citing "robust demand that renders discounting unnecessary."
Travel-management companies (TMCs) report a 300 % spike in fare-search volume this morning as CFOs race to lock in 2026 travel budgets at lower price points. However, blackout periods around Easter and Northern-summer conferences still apply, so companies should scrutinise fare rules before issuing purchase orders. Loyalty sweeteners—such as Qantas’ double points on hotels and Virgin’s triple points on long-haul—add incremental value for assignees who bank miles for future trips.
With airfares still hovering 20 % above 2019 levels on many international sectors, this sale window is likely the best opportunity multinationals will get this quarter to rein in mobility costs.
Qantas has folded the deals into its newly-minted “Travel Week” campaign, offering Sydney–Denpasar returns from A$599 and Perth–Singapore returns from A$519. Meanwhile, Qatar Airways is dangling Melbourne–Barcelona returns from $1,719 and deeply discounted business-class fares on its ultra-long-haul network. Virgin Australia has piled in, shaving up to 15 % off Qatar-operated sectors and awarding triple Velocity points on select bookings.
Singapore Airlines’ Australasian arm is matching with economy fares to Singapore from A$835, while Fiji Airways is targeting the leisure-cum-corporate market with Los Angeles returns from A$1,175 and Tokyo-NRT returns from A$975. Notably, Emirates has signalled it will stay on the sidelines, citing "robust demand that renders discounting unnecessary."
Travel-management companies (TMCs) report a 300 % spike in fare-search volume this morning as CFOs race to lock in 2026 travel budgets at lower price points. However, blackout periods around Easter and Northern-summer conferences still apply, so companies should scrutinise fare rules before issuing purchase orders. Loyalty sweeteners—such as Qantas’ double points on hotels and Virgin’s triple points on long-haul—add incremental value for assignees who bank miles for future trips.
With airfares still hovering 20 % above 2019 levels on many international sectors, this sale window is likely the best opportunity multinationals will get this quarter to rein in mobility costs.
