Two footy fans from Brisbane astounded by the cost of flights to get to Melbourne for the AFL grand final have decided to test out if making a 1746km journey by car is cheaper.

Even with exorbitant diesel prices, the couple have made a solid saving.

Lions fans Alex and Laura Neil forked out $680 on diesel and $140 on accommodation, making two overnight stops between the Queensland and Victorian capital – one at a hotel in Newcastle and one at a caravan park in Yass, sleeping in a rooftop tent fitted on their Toyota HiLux.

When they first priced up flights, it was going to cost about $2300 for two return airfares.

“We were pretty confident we could do this a fair bit cheaper and we had the time to do it,” Mr Neil told news.com.au. “And so far I think it’s going to be way cheaper.”

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If their costs remain similar for the return journey, they will have saved more than $600, and got the bonus of visiting parts of Australia they’d never been.

“It felt better value for money,” Ms Neil said.

“We really like stopping in like quirky Aussie towns and getting to know the local bakery or the feel of the place,” her husband added.

“The other thing is there’s only two of us … if you had a family of four, it would have been well over three or four grand (to fly). (Driving) definitely works out for families as well.”

On the way home, they are excited to visit the Blue Mountains and Southern Highlands.

But Mr Neil said he feels sad some fans are priced out of going to the grand final due to airfare hikes when they don’t have the option to drive.

“I remember being a teenager trying to go to a grand final and missing out on going, not because we couldn’t get tickets, but because we couldn’t afford the flights, and my parents didn’t have time to drive us down,” he said.

This time, he has the time and money to drive, but doesn’t have the tickets.

Mr and Ms Neil are hoping to get their hands on some before Saturday, but if not, are happy just to be around to soak in the atmosphere.

Last year, the Neils booked flights well in advance to be in Melbourne at the time of the grand final and got lucky that their team made it in, so they avoided paying inflated prices for the flights.

When news.com.au looked at airfares on Thursday afternoon to fly from Brisbane to Melbourne on Friday – the day before the grand final – the cheapest flight was on budget airline Jetstar at $409, with no checked baggage.

The cheapest seat on a Virgin Australia flight was $481, with no checked baggage, and Qantas’ best offer was $544, with checked baggage included.

To fly back on Sunday – the day after the grand final – the cheapest airfare was priced at $699 on Virgin. Jetstar was charging $867 and Qantas $888.

Dockers fans charter two planes

Meanwhile, 200 Fremantle Dockers fans are privately chartering two 100-seat Fokker aircraft from Perth to Melbourne, saying it was actually a cheaper option than securing commercial seats last-minute.

Diehard fan and real estate agent Kathy Collett put out the call to other Dockers supporters about three months ago to see who would be willing to gamble the team would make it through to the grand final.

Passengers paid $1700 return, and fly in on Friday and head back home on Sunday.

“Of that it was a $200 deposit, which was non-refundable, so if the Dockers didn’t get into the grand final, the plane wouldn’t be going and that deposit is forfeited to the charter company,” Ms Collett told Perth radio station 6PR, where her husband Russell Collett is a broadcaster. “It was only a $200 gamble whether we got in or not, which was great.”

As of time of writing on Thursday afternoon, the cheapest direct flight from Perth to Melbourne on Friday was $1288 on Virgin and $1580 on Qantas. Jetstar’s non-stop flights had sold out.

A direct flight back to Perth on Sunday was priced at $1080 on Virgin and $1211 on Qantas. Again, Jetstar’s non-stop flights were sold out.

Perth to Melbourne via … Bali?

Melbourne is gearing up for a tourism boost this weekend as both teams in the grand final are from interstate.

Flight Centre Travel Group global leisure CEO James Kavanagh said, “naturally more fans will be travelling in for the game”.

“For those who are waiting to secure a ticket to the game and have yet to book a flight, our advice is to be flexible with your dates,” he said. “Flying home on the Monday instead of the Sunday to beat the home-for-the-work-week rush can potentially save you hundreds in airfares.

“In the past we’ve also seen fans get creative with their routing. If they need to, Freo fans can fly from Perth to Bali and down to Melbourne when direct seats sell out.

“Brisbane fans can also do things like fly to Avalon as seats into Melbourne fill. Given there’s no Sydney team in the Grand Final, you might also find a cheaper seat at the last minute from Brisbane to Sydney and then on to Melbourne.”

If fans find these alternatives too complex to book themselves, Mr Kavanagh suggested speaking to a travel agent to explore options.

Accommodation bookings in Melbourne have seen a significant increase on last year.

As of Monday, forward occupancy for grand final day was up 19 percentage points to 94 per cent. according to data from analytics company CoStar.

Forward occupancy for the day before grand final day, which is also a public holiday in Victoria, was up 18 percentage points to 93 per cent.

Visit Victoria CEO Brendan McClements said Brisbane and Fremantle supporters were filling up Melbourne’s hotels, bars and restaurants.

“We know Melburnians will also be taking the opportunity of a long weekend to head out and explore the state, providing a boost for regional operators,” he added.