‘Farewatch’ gets local support

By Chris Thomson | posted on April 13, 2018

A PARLIAMENTARY recommendation that a FuelWatch-style website be set up to help consumers compare regional airfares has been accepted by the State Transport Minister and supported by the boss of a major Albany tourism attraction.

This week, Minister for Transport Rita Saffioti said the State either fully supported, or supported in principle, 12 recommendations by the Parliamentary Inquiry into Regional Airfares.

One of the supported recommendations – that the Department of Transport report to Ms Saffioti on the viability of a website to help consumers compare airfares to regional destinations – received the thumbs up from the General Manager of Albany’s Historic Whaling Station Elise van Gorp.

Ms van Gorp, who in August last year made a submission to the inquiry, told The Weekender a ‘Farewatch’ website could provide an easy point for visitors to check airfares to and from Albany at different times.

She said even though only one airline serviced Albany, the website could help tourists compare the cost of flying to Albany with travel costs to competing regional destinations.

“It could assist in promoting Albany as a destination, particularly if the cost of flying here stacked up favourably against other places,” she said.

“It could support visitors’ choices if they want to come to Albany. They might think: ‘Yay! We could go there for the weekend.’

“It might assist in raising their awareness of how easy it could be to arrange a getaway weekend, perhaps, where they hadn’t thought of it before.”

Ms Saffioti said the State would review each recommendation as part of an updated State Aviation Strategy she expected to be released in 2020.