Hikes, strikes test Perth footy fans

Some savvy footy fans in Western Australia are bypassing conventional methods of crossing the Nullarbor so they can be there to potentially watch their team reach a grand final.

Regional charter aircraft company Skippers says it has received about 10 inquiries into private flights to Melbourne on board its fleet of twin-engined aircraft.

A Skippers spokeswoman said the Dash 300 aircraft could seat close to 50 people, costing about $70,000 for the round trip, coming in at roughly $1400 per person.

Remaining economy class flights on Qantas and Virgin were selling for more than $2000, direct from Perth to Melbourne, on Thursday.

It all comes as both West Coast and Fremantle contest home preliminary finals this weekend, raising the possibility of an all-West Australian grand final at the MCG on October 3.

Those prepared to fork out major cash for tickets with major carriers could find themselves caught up in a union wage dispute, however.

Transport Workers Union members have refused to rule out protected industrial action as they seek to use the sporting event as leverage in their salary spat.

As Perth aircraft refuellers negotiate their three-year enterprise agreement, they have called for a pay rise of five per cent in the first year followed by a four per cent increase over the next two years.

They claim Shell has only offered a 1.2 per cent per year increase after originally offering double that.

Virgin Australia confirmed on Wednesday it had added an extra 3000 seats to its existing flight schedule in a bid to ease pressure over grand final weekend.

Qantas has refused to confirm whether it would provide more flights from Perth to Melbourne, but said it would keep an eye on the weekend results.

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