Qantas and Jetstar to cut domestic flights

If you have a domestic booking with Qantas or Jetstar then you might want to check the flight still exists. 

The Qantas Group today announced that in light of continued volatility in fuel prices and global economic conditions, its will reduce domestic flight frequencies by around 5%. 

Regional destinations will be among those affected, including Mount Gambier in South Australia. 

The airline said in a media release that higher international airfares would only partly offset soaring fuel costs, expected to be between $3.1 billion and $3.3 billion in the six months to June 30. 

The carrier said in a market update that affected Qantas and Jetstar customers will be contacted directly and offered either alternative flights or a refund.

Qantas Group added that it is closely monitoring the dynamic environment and retains the option to take further actions to mitigate fuel cost increases across the business over time.

The news follows the Australian flag carrier's decision last week to redeploy capacity from the US and its domestic network to increase flights to Europe.

"Qantas continues to see strong demand for international travel to Europe as customers seek alternative routes," it said. "In response, the Group has redeployed capacity from the US and its domestic network to increase flights to Paris and Rome."

Qantas increased airfares last month to mitigate against the spiralling cost of jet fuel.

Qantas’ fuel bill is forecast to be higher in its second half by between $600 million and $800 million. 

"Since the Group provided outlook guidance at its 1H26 financial results, jet fuel prices have more than doubled and remain highly volatile," the airline media release said. 

"The Group is working closely with the government and jet fuel suppliers who continue to provide confidence in fuel supply for the remainder of April and well into May. We are closely monitoring the situation given the ongoing uncertainty in global fuel supply chains.

"In light of the ongoing volatility, the Group will provide an update on the FY27 outlook at a later date."

Image: Qantas