Like to go away for the Christmas holidays but can’t afford, or don’t want, to spend an arm and a leg?
You may want to check out Australia’s first online travel auction site, One Cent Flights.
Founded by 19 year old Sydney University student Elliott Donazzan, One Cent Flights allows members to bid on flights to a range of destinations starting at just one cent.
Although the business is only two months old, it has already auctioned 30 return flights with the number of destinations and users continuing to expand daily.
So far, the cheapest flight has been a Sydney to Melbourne return flight for 49 cents. Other flights have included Hobart to Melbourne for 82 cents and a return flight to New Zealand for $2.54.
Donazzan was inspired to establish the site because he loves to travel and has “been lucky enough to do so because my dad’s a pilot.” But he’s now at the age where he wants to travel with friends, not family, and he wanted to make it affordable.
“I thought of One Cent Flights because I wanted to give my friends, and others, an opportunity to travel.”
He said the concept, which is based on the ‘penny auctions’ model, combines entertainment with affordability.
Bidding credits are purchased up front and can be added via PayPal. Each time you bid, one bidding credit is deducted from your account and the auction price increases by one cent. If a bid is placed during the final seconds of the countdown, the clock will reset and allow an extra 10 seconds giving participants the chance to make a final bid.
While most flights so far have been for domestic travel, Donazzan plans extending the concept to international flights. One is currently on offer from Sydney, Melbourne or Perth to London with the winning bidder able to choose their airline from Emirates, Etihad, Singapore Airlines or Malaysia Airlines.
“Why pay hundreds of dollars for flights when you could pay only a few dollars?” said Donazzan.
He said he was pleased with the reaction to date.
“I think people have not come across any other auction site that offers what we do. Consumers might be familiar with bidding on goods such as clothing, furniture or electronics, but until now, no one has given them the chance to bid on flights.”
Further information
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