Getting a ticket to the AFL Grand Final can be difficult enough. Getting to Melbourne this year could cost some fans considerably more.
Airfares have surged following confirmation that Fremantle will face Brisbane at the MCG on Saturday 26 September, with supporters from both sides now trying to make their way across the country.
For some travelling from Perth, return economy fares have reportedly climbed as high as $6,000.
The extraordinary prices are appearing despite Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia adding thousands of extra seats for Grand Final week.
Perth fans facing the biggest airfare shock
Fremantle's place in the Grand Final has created particularly intense demand between Perth and Melbourne.
ABC News reports some return fares have reached around $6,000, while one Fremantle supporter said he knew fans who had paid approximately $1,900 for a one-way flight.
The scramble began almost immediately after Fremantle secured its place in the Grand Final.
Even before the teams had been confirmed, however, flights from Perth were already expensive.
On 17 September, Qantas said its lowest available one-way fare from Perth to Melbourne for Thursday 24 September was $1,211.
By comparison, its lowest available fares for the same day were $469 from Brisbane and $329 from Sydney.
Demand has only increased since Fremantle and Brisbane booked their places at the MCG.
According to figures reported by ABC News, Flight Centre bookings into Melbourne from Perth and Brisbane are already 126 per cent higher than during the equivalent period last year.
Airlines add thousands of extra Grand Final seats
It isn't for lack of additional flights.
Virgin Australia says it has added almost 4,000 extra seats between Perth and Melbourne, along with more than 1,000 additional seats between Brisbane and Melbourne.
The airline expects to operate more than 110,000 direct seats to and from Melbourne during Grand Final week.
Qantas has added 13 additional Perth-Melbourne flights, providing approximately 2,300 extra seats, while Qantas and Jetstar have also added seven additional services between Brisbane and Melbourne.
Extra capacity has also been added from Sydney.
But with both Grand Final teams based outside Victoria this year, demand for flights into Melbourne remains extremely high.
Why are flights still so expensive?
The enormous price differences largely come down to supply, demand and airline dynamic pricing.
Airlines don't generally sell every seat on a flight at the same price. Different fare levels are made available as seats are sold, and prices can increase substantially as cheaper inventory disappears.
Major events such as the AFL Grand Final create an unusual situation where thousands of people suddenly want to travel to the same city at almost exactly the same time.
Griffith University aviation expert Justin Wastnage told ABC News that increasingly sophisticated dynamic pricing allows airlines to adjust fares according to demand and remaining capacity.
For Perth supporters, geography doesn't exactly help.
Driving from Perth to Melbourne isn't a particularly practical last-minute alternative, while indirect flights can add considerable travel time.
Some fans have even joked that it could be cheaper to fly internationally, spend a day overseas and then continue to Melbourne than pay some of the direct fares currently being offered.
At $6,000 return, you can understand why they're checking.
Australia's airfares were already under pressure
The Grand Final rush is happening against a backdrop of higher domestic aviation costs.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission reported earlier this year that airlines had increased some fares and reduced capacity on certain routes as higher jet fuel costs placed additional pressure on operating expenses.
That doesn't mean the current Grand Final fares have been found to constitute price gouging.
While some frustrated travellers have used that description, there has been no finding by the ACCC that airlines are unlawfully increasing fares around the event.
What is clear is that a sudden surge in demand, particularly from Perth, is colliding with a limited number of seats available during a very narrow travel window.
Fans look for other ways to Melbourne
For supporters still hoping to make a last-minute trip, flexibility may be becoming almost as important as finding a Grand Final ticket.
Travelling earlier, returning later, checking connecting services or flying into another city before continuing to Melbourne may produce different prices, although accommodation and additional transport costs also need to be factored in.
And with airlines continuing to respond to demand, additional capacity could still appear as Grand Final week progresses.
For now, though, some Fremantle supporters face an uncomfortable decision: miss their club's appearance on football's biggest stage, or potentially spend thousands of dollars simply getting there.
Suddenly the price of the Grand Final ticket itself might not seem quite so bad.
