The Department of Transport and Main Roads is developing a tool to allow travellers to keep track of airline pricing on regional flight routes.
According to the Minister for Transport and Main Roads, Mark Bailey, the aim of the tool is to help rural and remote Queenslanders monitor air travel affordability.
Mr Bailey said regional airfares were one of the biggest issues raised when the Premier and her Ministers visited Mount Isa in December.
“Hundreds of communities across the State are often a day’s drive from regional hubs, and these flights play an important role in helping families from those areas get to work, appointments and other services,” Mr Bailey said.
“When locals told us they wanted to look at price-tracking software, I tasked the Department to investigate potential solutions.”
He said global economies had been impacted by COVID-19, and Queensland, together with many of its regional air routes, had not been immune.
“The Government has supported the industry with a $54 million essential transport package, which has seen key regional routes continue operating as part of our economic recovery plan,” Mr Bailey said.
“Despite all this, we know the price of regional airfares remains an issue, and that’s why TransLink is now developing and will maintain its own, internal cost-monitoring dashboard that will monitor historic trends on key routes across the State.”
“Using the dashboard, TransLink will provide regular reports so the public can be better informed on regional airfares,” the Minister said.
He said the price-tracking tool would include all air service routes regulated by the Department, as well as key unregulated commercial routes.
