Jetstar slashes Japan flights
Queensland private school fees have increased at higher rates than the national average forcing parents to rethink how to stretch household budgets, an independent analysis has revealed.
Education specialists Edstart has released its 2024 school fees report which analysed 166 independent and Catholic schools across Queensland.
The report showed Queensland had an average fee increase of 6.03 per cent, higher than the national average of 5.85 per cent.
It comes amid the cost of living crisis that’s led to secondhand stores being inundated by families with school supplies the “number one” pressure point on household budgets.
Schools in Brisbane had the highest increase in the state at 7.33 per cent and the highest new median fees of $15,560.
Jetstar has launched a 72-hour sales blitz on flights between Queensland and Japan.
The “Return for Free sale”, running from Monday until Thursday night, will allow travellers who buy an outbound flight from Brisbane or Cairns to Tokyo or Osaka, to book the return journey for free.
It represents potential savings of hundreds of dollars on a trip to the Land of the Rising Sun.
One-way flights from Brisbane to Osaka (Kansai) start at $476, while Cairns to Osaka (Kansai) fares start from $337.
Club Jetstar members will have 12 hours of exclusive early access from midday on Monday, followed by public access from midnight.
Travel dates run from February until early December.
It comes with the airline preparing to start services from Brisbane to Osaka, with four weekly return flights from Friday.
Jetstar will also begin a new service linking Brisbane and Seoul in South Korea, three times a week starting on Thursday.
It is another sign of the increasingly competitive market for international travel and a hopeful sign for travellers that prices will become more affordable, after two years of record high fares in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Brisbane Airport has now resumed services to almost all of the hub’s pre-pandemic international routes, with only a handful of destinations yet to resume connections.
Edstart chief executive Jack Stevens said school fees had largely increased due to increased operating costs within schools as a result of high inflation.
“Rising staff wages are also behind the higher fee increase with many non-government schools offering pay rises to attract and retain teaching staff,” Mr Stevens said.
“With salaries comprising around 70 per cent of a school’s expenditure, this can place significant pressure on their budget.”
For parents Brendan and Sarah Hankinson, forking out for private schooling is not something they can guarantee will continue for their three children.