Transport Minister Rita Saffioti blames Geraldton’s low uptake of capped airfares on shorter distance to Perth

Transport Minister Rita Saffioti has blamed Geraldton’s low uptake of the State Government capped regional airfares scheme on the short distance to Perth which is easy to drive. The number of capped airfares used by Geraldton passengers has jumped by almost 25 per cent in the past three months, but the Mid West city’s tally is still outside the top 10 regional centres involved in the scheme. On the Geraldton-Perth route, 1596 capped tickets have been sold since the scheme was introduced six months ago. The Regional Airfares Zone Cap scheme began in July 2022, discounting one-way flights for regional residents travelling to and from Perth to $199 or $299 depending on the distance. Since the initiative began, Geraldton has not taken advantage of it to the same extent as other regional centres including Kalgoorlie with 8688 airfares sold, Broome (8614), Esperance (6538), Carnarvon (3201) and Exmouth (1938). In the July to September period, 710 capped airfares were sold on the Geraldton to Perth route, and 886 between October to December — an increase in uptake of 24.79 per cent in the second quarter. Other regional towns such as Port Hedland saw rises of up to 72.59 per cent between the two quarters. Ms Saffioti said Geraldton’s lower uptake was due to the shorter distance from Perth and still reflected a positive uptake of the capped airfares. “I think the results in Geraldton are actually really positive and show strong growth in the take up of the capped airfares scheme, particularly when you consider it is one of the closest locations to Perth that has access to the program, and driving remains a viable option for a lot of people,” she said. But Albany — a shorter distance to Perth — saw a total of 3872 capped flights sold over the six-month period, up 142 per cent compared with Geraldton’s tally. “With cost-of-living pressures remaining a challenge for many households, I would just encourage people in the Geraldton community to make the most of the capped airfares, particularly with recent positive news about Qantas bringing on more flights later this year,” Ms Saffioti said. The minister said she expected the momentum to continue and thousands more regional residents to take up the discounted airfares. “By making air travel more accessible, this landmark scheme is supporting the economic development of our regions and making them more attractive places to live,” she said. More than 37,800 capped airfares were purchased in the second quarter across the regions, increasing by 33 per cent compared with the first quarter’s 28,439 airfares. The overall Statewide figure of capped airfares sold over six months was 66,200.