Qantas Unleashes Record Domestic Sale With 1.9 Million Discounted Seats Across Australia

Qantas has kicked off its biggest domestic airfare promotion in five years, unleashing nearly two million discounted seats and putting some of Australia’s most coveted holiday hotspots, including Byron Bay, the Gold Coast, Hamilton Island and Kangaroo Island, within easier reach of domestic travellers. The record sale, running for a limited time in mid February, is being hailed as a major boost for regional tourism operators who are banking on strong demand through the rest of 2026.

Qantas Sale Signals A New Phase For Domestic Travel

The new Qantas domestic sale opened in the early hours of Tuesday 10 February 2026 and is scheduled to run until late on Monday 16 February, unless discounted seats are snapped up earlier. It features 1.9 million Economy and Business Class fares across 60 destinations around the country, from capital city trunk routes to coastal resort towns and remote islands.

Headline fares begin at 99 Australian dollars one way in Economy on select routes, such as Sydney to Byron Bay (Ballina), with Business Class fares starting from 299 dollars on key domestic corridors. The scale of the promotion represents the largest nationwide discounting program Qantas has mounted since before the pandemic, and reflects the carrier’s strategic shift back toward stimulating leisure travel within Australia.

Qantas Domestic chief executive Markus Svensson has described the sale as the biggest of its kind in more than half a decade, noting that customers have not seen this breadth of discounting since at least 2021. The campaign is designed to fill seats during shoulder seasons and off-peak days of the week while giving cost-conscious travellers a chance to lock in holidays well ahead of the busy summer of 2026–27.

The carrier is also leaning on the strength of its full-service offering to differentiate the deal from low-cost rivals. All domestic sale fares still include checked baggage and complimentary food and beverages, while frequent flyers stand to benefit from status credits and points earn on both Economy and Business tickets.

Byron Bay Back In The Spotlight With Sub 100 Dollar Fares

Few destinations better illustrate the impact of the new sale than Byron Bay, the northern New South Wales beach town that has become a byword for relaxed luxury. Qantas has put the Sydney to Ballina route, the main gateway for Byron Bay, on sale from 99 dollars one way on select travel dates between mid October and late December 2026, undercutting typical high-season prices by a meaningful margin.

The Ballina Byron Gateway Airport has been one of the quiet achievers of Australia’s domestic recovery, with increased flights from both full service and low-cost carriers in recent years. Discounted Qantas fares are expected to further drive demand for long weekend escapes, surf trips and festival travel, while also providing welcome support for small accommodation providers and hospitality businesses in the region.

For Byron Bay, which has seen headline-grabbing property prices and the arrival of global brands alongside its longstanding surf and wellness culture, affordable access remains a key issue. The sale offers an opportunity to rebalance the visitor mix, encouraging not just high-spending international guests but also repeat domestic travellers who may have been priced out during recent peak periods.

Tourism operators in the Northern Rivers region are likely to use the sale window to push packaged deals around food, music, wellness and coastal experiences. With flights discounted on Qantas as well as competing fares announced by Virgin Australia on similar routes, Byron Bay appears set for an influx of visitors looking to secure better-value stays later in the year.

Gold Coast Rides Wave Of Competitive Sales

The Gold Coast, long one of Australia’s busiest domestic leisure markets, sits at the crossroads of several major sale campaigns. Qantas has included Gold Coast routes in its national promotion, offering cut-price fares from key capitals into Queensland’s second-largest city. These are landing in a market already energised by aggressive discounting from rival airlines and fresh capacity agreements designed to grow inbound tourism.

The sprawling coastal strip, famous for its surf beaches, theme parks and hinterland escapes, has been a bellwether of domestic travel demand since borders reopened. Cheaper Qantas fares are expected to stimulate midweek and shoulder-season bookings, particularly among families planning ahead for the September school holidays and couples looking to pair a city break with hinterland wine or wellness stays.

Local tourism bodies on the Gold Coast have been leaning into campaigns that highlight the region’s diversity beyond the beachfront towers, including its emerging dining scene, cultural festivals and nature-based experiences in the nearby national parks. The latest round of airfare deals, spanning Qantas, low-cost subsidiary Jetstar and competing carriers, effectively resets the baseline cost for getting to the city over much of 2026.

For Queensland’s tourism operators, the timing of Qantas’s record sale is significant. It arrives as the state positions itself for a busy run up to the 2032 Brisbane Olympics and amid continued investment in airports and visitor infrastructure. More affordable air access to the Gold Coast from southern capitals is seen as a crucial ingredient in keeping visitation numbers strong during that build-up.

Hamilton Island Discounts Anchor Whitsundays Push

Further north, the Whitsunday Islands, and particularly Hamilton Island, feature prominently among the domestic destinations singled out by travel agents and tourism bodies as winners from the current airfare war. While Hamilton Island services are not the cheapest seats in the Qantas sale, both the national carrier and its competitors have been highlighting freshly reduced fares to this gateway to the Great Barrier Reef.

Hamilton Island has long been a benchmark for Australian resort holidays, combining upmarket hotels and villas with family-friendly apartments and easy access to sailing, diving and scenic flights over the reef. Discounted fares from eastern capitals, some of them previously flagged in earlier promotions from rival carriers, help shift the island from once-in-a-decade splurge to more attainable annual holiday for many domestic travellers.

Qantas and its partners are using price-led campaigns to smooth out demand on routes that peak in the southern winter, when travellers in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide seek warmth farther north. Cheaper seats for travel between April and December give visitors increased flexibility to aim for quieter shoulder periods, when accommodation is easier to secure and on-island experiences may come with added value.

Local businesses in the Whitsundays, from reef tour operators to waterfront restaurants, are looking to the wave of discounted air travel as a chance to extend the region’s appeal beyond traditional honeymooners and retirees. Packaged holiday offers that bundle flights, transfers and reef excursions are expected to surface in the wake of the Qantas sale, with Hamilton Island frequently serving as the headline draw.

Kangaroo Island Positioned As A Wild, Yet Accessible, Escape

On the southern flank of the country, South Australia’s Kangaroo Island is emerging as another beneficiary of Qantas’s renewed focus on regional routes and leisure destinations. While the island does not attract the same volume of visitors as the Gold Coast or Byron Bay, it holds a unique place in the domestic tourism landscape thanks to its rugged coastlines, wildlife encounters and boutique food and wine experiences.

Qantas’s discounted fares on key South Australian routes make it easier for travellers from the eastern states to reach Adelaide and then connect onwards to Kangaroo Island via short-hop flights or ferry transfers. For many Australians, the perceived remoteness of the island has been a barrier to entry, but lower fares and better-packaged itineraries are starting to shift that perception.

Tourism operators on Kangaroo Island have spent recent years investing in new lodges, cellar doors and guided wildlife experiences, while also rebuilding after the bushfires of early 2020. More affordable access via major carriers is seen as vital to sustaining those investments and spreading visitation across the year, beyond traditional summer peaks.

Travel advisors note that Kangaroo Island is particularly well suited to travellers seeking an alternative to crowded coastal strips, offering a mix of coastal hikes, sea lion colonies and cliff-top lookouts that can be explored at a slower pace. Inclusion in the broader narrative around Qantas’s record domestic tourism sale helps cement the island’s reputation as a wild yet accessible escape within the Australian portfolio.

Airline Price War Accelerates, With Travellers The Winners

Qantas’s record domestic sale has not occurred in a vacuum. Competing carriers have quickly responded with promotions of their own, intensifying an airfare war that is driving prices down on many of the country’s most popular leisure routes. Virgin Australia has launched a one-week domestic sale overlapping the Qantas promotion, with lead-in fares from 45 dollars one way on key services including Sydney to Ballina for Byron Bay, the Gold Coast and Hamilton Island.

Budget carrier Jetstar has simultaneously rolled out targeted sales on routes into the Northern Territory and other holiday destinations, further broadening the number of discounted seats available. Together, the offers position February 2026 as one of the most competitive periods for domestic airfares in recent memory, with buyers able to choose between full service and low-cost options to tailor their travel budgets.

For consumers, the convergence of these sales means that destinations like Byron Bay, the Gold Coast, Hamilton Island and Kangaroo Island are now more accessible by air than they have been for years. In some cases, one-way fares are lower than peak-season rail or long-distance bus tickets, particularly once inclusions like baggage and onboard refreshments are factored in.

Industry analysts point out that while sales of this magnitude can temporarily squeeze airline margins, they also fill seats that might otherwise fly empty during quieter travel weeks. For carriers like Qantas, a strategically timed nationwide promotion can boost load factors, reinforce customer loyalty and encourage travellers to lock in multiple domestic trips for later in the year.

Tourism Regions Prepare For Surge In Bookings

The tourism regions set to headline Qantas’s record sale are already bracing for an uptick in enquiries and bookings. Accommodation providers in Byron Bay report that early signals point to strong interest in spring and early summer stays linked to the discounted airfares, while Gold Coast hoteliers are seeing families and groups price out trips around public holidays and major events.

On Hamilton Island, the sale activity is expected to intensify an already strong recovery, pushing occupancy rates higher during the traditionally quieter months outside school holidays. Meanwhile, tour operators on Kangaroo Island are preparing for a fresh wave of mainland visitors eager to turn cut-price flights into wildlife-rich long weekends and extended stays.

Regional tourism bodies are likely to seize on the Qantas promotion as a platform for their own marketing pushes, amplifying campaigns that spotlight lesser-known experiences alongside iconic attractions. This could include everything from hinterland farm stays near Byron Bay to cultural festivals on the Gold Coast, sailing regattas in the Whitsundays and food trails on Kangaroo Island.

With multiple airlines discounting simultaneously, there is also a renewed focus on capacity at regional airports and associated infrastructure. Local councils and state tourism agencies will be watching closely to ensure that transport links, staffing levels and visitor services can keep pace with demand, particularly during peak weeks triggered by the sale period.

How Travellers Can Capitalise On The Record Deals

For Australians looking to make the most of Qantas’s record domestic tourism sale, timing and flexibility are crucial. The deepest discounts are generally tied to specific travel windows between April and December 2026, and apply on less busy days of the week or outside school holiday peaks. Travellers who can search across dates and consider early morning or late evening departures are more likely to secure the headline fares.

Prospective visitors to Byron Bay, the Gold Coast, Hamilton Island and Kangaroo Island are also being urged by travel agents to book accommodation promptly once flights are locked in. In popular destinations, rooms and holiday rentals can fill quickly once a major airfare sale is announced, and in some cases room rates may rise in response to demand.

Another strategy gaining traction is combining the Qantas sale with loyalty program redemptions or companion offers, particularly in Business Class. With premium cabin fares also discounted on selected routes, frequent flyers may find that upgrading part of a longer itinerary costs less than in previous years, especially when lounge access and additional baggage allowances are taken into account.

As the sale window progresses toward its scheduled close on 16 February, availability on key routes is expected to tighten. Industry observers anticipate that some of the sharpest deals to destinations such as Byron Bay, the Gold Coast and Hamilton Island may sell out before the formal end date, underscoring the message from airlines and tourism operators alike: if you have been waiting for a sign to book a domestic getaway in 2026, this record-breaking sale is likely it.