Low tricks of low season

By Clive Dorman

NO SCHOOL holidays in sight, we're deep into the travel "low season", but air fares are climbing when they should be falling. Thankfully, there's other competition to choose from, but Qantas' current Red E-Deals - its best online fares - look like something out of the olden days.

Its best fare on the benchmark Melbourne-Sydney route is now $125 one-way, dearer than it was before the arrival of Impulse and then Virgin Blue half a decade ago. And it's the same across the network, with $10 or so added to the best fares seemingly every month for the past few months.

Virgin Blue is pushing up its margins as well: its best Melbourne-Sydney fare is now $109, when a year ago it was $69. You can get a "cheapie" for $89, only if you travel on a Tuesday or a Wednesday and only if you're prepared to spend plenty of time online looking for that rate for travel at least a month out.

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