\u201cWe\u2019ve already added around 2500 seats between New Zealand and Sydney around the NRL grand final to help get fans across the Tasman and home again,\u201d O\u2019Brien said in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cFlights around major events like the NRL grand final are always very popular. We always start with a range of fares available on each flight, but like all airlines, as flights fill up and it gets closer to the event, fares will be higher.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll be cheering the Warriors on from the sidelines over the next few weeks so if (when) they make the finals … stay tuned.\u201c<\/p>\n
There are still options for those willing to fly with Qantas or Jetstar, although fans will have to pay a premium or take a less direct route.<\/p>\n
All available Qantas flights on those dates are priced at more than $1000, while Jetstar has some options for less than $800. However, the cheaper Jetstar fares involve travelling via either Gold Coast or Melbourne before continuing on to Sydney.<\/p>\n
In a statement to the Herald, Qantas said it recently added almost 1000 extra seats between Auckland and Sydney after noticing an increase in demand. <\/p>\n
The airline said additional aircraft and crews are on standby, which it can add to the schedule once teams for the final game are confirmed.<\/p>\n
For fans looking for an easier option, sporting travel packages are also proving increasingly difficult to secure.<\/p>\n
Dejected Warriors players Lance Hohaia (from left), Feleti Mateo, Ben Matulino and Michael Luck after the 2011 NRL grand-final defeat to the Sea Eagles. Photo \/ Photosport<\/p>\n
Boys Trip, a Dunedin-based company specialising in trips to sporting events in Australia, the United States and Singapore, has already sold out of its packages for this year\u2019s grand final.<\/p>\n
Boys Trip director David Diehl said the demand had been unprecedented.<\/p>\n
When the Warriors reached the grand final in 2011, Boys Trip packages did not sell out until the week of the final. This time, its packages were gone before the finals series had even begun.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s pretty unprecedented, to be honest,\u201d Diehl said. \u201cPrevious years, a lot of people will wait until the finals series have started to see what teams might be in the grand final.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do always get an influx of bookings once the finals series have started and people have got a bit more of an idea about who might be playing in the grand final.\u201c<\/p>\n
Diehl said the sold-out sign went up on the company\u2019s website last week, but inquiries had continued to pour in, with around 25 inquiries a day from groups wanting to travel to Sydney.<\/p>\n
The crew behind Boys Trip, who specialise in sports trips across to Australia.<\/p>\n
Boys Trip is hopeful of securing more flights if the Warriors qualify, but fans who have left their travel plans until late are already facing significantly higher prices.<\/p>\n
Diehl said he was \u201choping to get some packages\u201d but with the way the flights are, the packages would cost close to $6500 and that package was probably $4500 \u201cif you booked a month or two ago\u201d.<\/p>\n
The scramble for flights comes with the Warriors entering the final round in pole position to claim their second minor premiership<\/a>.<\/p>\n