Escape from Bali is possible – for a price

International News, National News

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The volcanic ash clouds blocking flights between Perth and Bali have grounded most planes and stranded hundreds of Australians overseas, but it’s still possible to get out with some redirection, if you’re willing to pay the price.

AirAsia is offering $700 one-way tickets to Perth, but all flights are fully booked until Friday, while Garuda is charging $1000 per person just to get to Melbourne, via Kuala Lumpur.

A direct flight from Denpasar to Perth is 2579 kilometres, and in the busy summer season a ticket can be snaffled for around $200-300 on a few weeks’ notice.

However, the quickest route from Denpasar to Perth is via Singapore – a 5591-kilometre journey and a $1051 price tag.

There is another option.

For $2805, passengers can travel by way of Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur – a journey of 6261 kilometres.

There is one more alternative: the $3540, 8425-kilometre “scenic route” with stops in Singapore and Bangkok.

For those who are holding out hope for the return of budget airline offerings, you’ll need to wait a little longer. Jetstar turned back two Bali-bound flights in mid-air on Tuesday afternoon, after deciding that conditions were too dangerous to continue.

Jetstar said in a media release that their experience over the past week showed the ash cloud position could change quickly, and they were constantly assessing flying conditions.

The eruption of Mount Rinjani, which has grounded almost all flights in and out of Denpasar, began on Wednesday November 4, and has yet to let up.

Volcanic ash clouds from can take out a plane if the molten dust is sucked into the engines.

When the volcano last erupted in 2009 it continued to spew ash intermittently for the following 18 months.