QANTAS and Virgin have been accused of an AFL Grand Final rip-off by charging WA footy fans more to fly to Melbourne than to New Zealand — aboard the same flight.

The Flying Kangaroo wants $1430 to travel from Perth to the Victorian capital on October 1 and 2. But the price from Perth to Auckland via Melbourne — on the same days, for the same type of seat, on the same QF772 flight for the Melbourne leg — is $1287.

West Coast Eagles and Fremantle Dockers fans looking to travel to the premiership decider are outraged.

They say it smashes claims by the airlines that price rises around the Grand Final are the result of supply and demand.

The pricing means it’s $143 cheaper to sit on the same plane to Melbourne, then fly a further 2600km to Auckland.

Enterprising fans with carry-on bags could get off in Melbourne and not board the Auckland flight and save $143.

The rip-off is even greater for return flights to Perth the day after the AFL Grand Final.

Direct flights from Melbourne to Perth start from $1430 on Qantas but if passengers left from Auckland, stopped in Melbourne and then boarded the same Melbourne-Perth flight home, the price is only $1239.

Virgin is equally guilty of the pricing anomaly.

Seats aboard Virgin flight VA676 from Perth to Melbourne on October 1 start from $1379. But catching the same VA676 flight to Melbourne and then fly on to Auckland on an international flight is $90 cheaper at $1289.

It is the same on Virgin flights returning to Perth on October 4. Flights from Auckland via Melbourne to Perth start at $1166 but flights using the same aircraft from Melbourne to Perth are $1397.

Fremantle Dockers cheer squad co-ordinator Robyn “RJ” Walsh said: “Fans deserve an explanation. I certainly think it’s strange. It’s odd.”

West Coast cheer squad spokesman Daniel Williams, 34, said the high cost of flights had priced him out of flying to Melbourne, and instead he was driving over with four mates.

“It seems like the airlines are trying to recoup the costs of putting on extra flights but the prices are ridiculous. A lot of people can’t afford it,” Mr Williams said.

Some fans said they would lodge a complaint with the airline industry watchdog, the Airline Customer Advocate.

Virgin Australia would not explain the pricing but a spokesman said “we will continue to monitor demand and review the possibility of adding further flights throughout the week to ensure as many fans as possible can fly to matches”.

A Qantas spokeswoman said: “Like all airlines, our fares are determined by a customer’s origin and final destination ... and the different levels of demand on any day between those two points. The fares are reflective of those different levels of demand.”