The national airline is phasing out Freedom Air at the end of this month to be replaced by Air New Zealand flights.
The change was announced by Air New Zealand last September, with Air NZ fares starting at $219 one way. Freedom Air's lowest fares were $199 one way, although they were limited.
But a Dunedin resident says flights coming back from Australia were priced much higher than she normally paid through Freedom Air.
Nancy Durst said she had been looking at booking flights from Dunedin to Brisbane in June, but there was nothing under $500 return.
In the end, she had given up and booked a flight through Virgin Blue out of Christchurch, which was costing her $208 one way, and return.
‘‘There was just nothing under $380 to come back. We are subsidising people in Christchurch,'' she said.
‘‘We accept that they are going to be dearer at the weekends, and at school holidays, but they are dearer at any time.''
She said Freedom Air used to have mixed fares, but they were always within $50 of each other.
Air New Zealand spokeswoman Di Paton said there were many different fares available. Sometimes, there would be special deals for flights and the grab-a-seat promotion would give cheaper flights.
The cost of Freedom flights varied over time, she said. Because of the pricing structure, a seat could be purchased to go to Australia at a cheaper price but could not be bought at the same price when returning.
The airline would be using A320s for the service, as used by Freedom Air. She did not provide information on the company's fare structure.
Vincent George House of Travel co-owner Vincent George said it was often cheaper to send a client to Christchurch than fly on Freedom Air from Dunedin.
