Virgin Australia CEO says the company doesn’t gouge footy fans

Virgin Australia CEO John Borghetti is adamant charging footy fans exhorbitant prices to fly to Perth over the weekend isn’t price gouging.

Melbourne fans have been up in arms with airlines after prices were increased ahead of their preliminary final against West Coast in Perth on Saturday.

Tickets normally priced at $750 for a return trip were bumped up to over $1,100 for this weekend, with angry supporters forced to find other ways to make the journey west.

“I don’t think (it’s price gouging), in fact I know it’s not,” Borghetti told Neil Mitchell.

“Airlines don’t have half a dozen planes sitting by a fence they can just pull in so you’ve got limited resources and we’ve got the school holidays on as well.

“When we put additionaql flights on, because it’s not a scheduled flight and typically it goes over empty and all of a sudden, you’ve got all those fuel coast and all those crew costs.

“Natually, it’s going to be more expensive.”

Click PLAY to hear Neil’s full chat with Virgin Australia CEO John Borghetti