While airports and airlines trade accusations of gouging, travellers foot the bill. So who's really to blame? : While airports and airlines trade accusations of gouging, travellers foot the bill. So who's really to blame? Qantas boss Alan Joyce is fond of pointing out that it's never been more affordable for Australians to fly. While this might be the case, airfares becoming drastically cheaper over the past couple of decades doesn't mean that flying is always cheap.