Originally Posted by
MSPeconomist
Pent-up demand. Many people were forced to postpone travel to/from Australia, and now that it's somewhat easier to go, they're returning home, visiting (elderly) relatives, returning to in-person studies, etc.
Because of the distance, SYD is one of the most expensive segments in the network to operate. AFAIK it's never been a cheap destination.
Definitely expensive in terms of CASM, fuel required, etc. but a profitable cargo business or general competitive market such as LAX-SYD can drive prices down. I remember seeing sub-$1000 USD r/t fares in normal (not basic) economy, pre-Covid. I used a bunch of SkyMiles on a trip down there many years ago and sort of lamented doing so after seeing how cheap fares had gotten (seemed like a great mileage run). Of course we had UA, AA, QF, DL all using their own metal, with everything between A330, 777, 787, 747, and A380 in the mix. There was definitely not a supply-demand situation like there is now.