{
  "query": {
    "country": "AU",
    "from": "Sydney",
    "to": "Melbourne",
    "months": 12
  },
  "status": "ok",
  "price": {
    "currency": "AUD",
    "unit": "per return trip",
    "value": 208,
    "measure": "median",
    "median": 208,
    "typical_low": 190,
    "typical_high": 252,
    "min": 178,
    "max": 348
  },
  "sample_size": 12,
  "period": {
    "from": "2025-10",
    "to": "2026-09"
  },
  "confidence": "low",
  "price_type": "posted_price",
  "as_of": "2026-10-20T10:50:23.825Z",
  "source": {
    "id": "au-bitre-airfares",
    "name": "BITRE Real CPI-adjusted domestic discount airfares",
    "publisher": "Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics (BITRE), Australian Government",
    "licence": "Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Australia (CC BY 2.5 AU)",
    "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/",
    "attribution": "Source: Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics (BITRE), Australian Government, via data.gov.au. Licensed under CC BY 2.5 AU. Medians and ranges are own calculations by ProofPrice from the monthly observations.",
    "url": "https://www.bitre.gov.au/resource/aviation/domestic-airfares"
  },
  "method": "Median and 10th-90th percentile of the monthly cheapest advertised return fares for Melbourne - Sydney over the last 12 months, from BITRE's domestic discount airfares series. Each month is one observation: the lowest discount return fare found on airline websites 3 weeks before a departure on the last Thursday of the month (return 2 weeks later). Advertised fares, not fares paid; the range reflects months, not travellers.",
  "method_url": "https://proofprice.com/method",
  "summary": "Cheapest advertised return fare Melbourne - Sydney: median 208 AUD, typical months between 190 and 252 AUD over the last 12 months. Advertised discount fares, not what travellers paid. Based on 12 records from Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics (BITRE), Australian Government (2025-10 to 2026-09). Confidence: low.",
  "notice": "Information, not a valuation or offer. Ranges describe past recorded prices.",
  "extra": {
    "route": "Melbourne - Sydney",
    "latest_month": {
      "month": "2026-09",
      "aud_return": 198,
      "aud_return_cpi_adjusted": 198
    },
    "recent_months": [
      {
        "month": "2026-09",
        "aud_return": 198
      },
      {
        "month": "2026-08",
        "aud_return": 348
      },
      {
        "month": "2026-07",
        "aud_return": 198
      },
      {
        "month": "2026-06",
        "aud_return": 218
      },
      {
        "month": "2026-05",
        "aud_return": 178
      },
      {
        "month": "2026-04",
        "aud_return": 198
      },
      {
        "month": "2026-03",
        "aud_return": 237
      },
      {
        "month": "2026-02",
        "aud_return": 254
      },
      {
        "month": "2026-01",
        "aud_return": 191
      },
      {
        "month": "2025-12",
        "aud_return": 235
      },
      {
        "month": "2025-11",
        "aud_return": 238
      },
      {
        "month": "2025-10",
        "aud_return": 190
      }
    ],
    "basis": "Cheapest advertised discount return fare, collected 3 weeks before departure on the last Thursday of each month. Posted price, not paid."
  },
  "answer_id": "ans_72a2d0d5088f0c35f4a3",
  "method_version": "1",
  "retrieved_at": "2026-10-20T10:50:23.825Z",
  "evidence": {
    "type": "posted_price",
    "label": "Posted shelf or pump price",
    "meaning": "The price a seller displays (for example at a pump or on a shelf): it is what is asked at the time, not a record of what each customer paid."
  },
  "reliability": "thin",
  "data_as_of": "2026-09-30",
  "data_age_days": 20,
  "suggestions": [
    "Few records stand behind this range: widen the period or the area for a steadier figure.",
    "Treat it as a rough guide and ask for an itemised quote before deciding.",
    "This is a posted price, not what each customer paid."
  ]
}