Travellers seeking to spend spring or Thanksgiving in New York are in for a treat, with Virgin Australia offering $999 return air fares from Australia through Flight Centre.

Virgin Australia has thrown down the price gauntlet, well below Qantas Airways quoting $1850 return to the Big Apple, Emirates showing $1661 return and Cathay Pacific Airways showing $1400.

Matt Leedham, founder of travel industry news website KarryOn, attributed low airfares to a "triple-whammy: the weak Australian dollar, cheap fuel and more competition".

"There are more airlines than there's ever been," Mr Leedham said, adding that aircraft upgrades have meant greater seating capacities, such as Etihad's shift from 777 models to A380.

For international airlines, a weak Australian dollar means cheaper operating costs in Australia, which allow for lower priced fares, he said.

Mr Leedham added that while data from the International Air Transport Association showed international airfares at their lowest in 30 years, the price of domestic flights are going up due to a rise in inbound travellers.

There were 796,700 visitor arrivals during February 2016, an increase of 10.3 per cent within the same period last year, according to data from Tourism Australia.

As a consequence, Mr Leedham said, domestic flights fill up fast and drive prices higher.

While the tourism industry is subject to movements in the exchange rate, the popularity of Australian travel abroad remains steady, despite the Australian dollar currently sitting at US77 cents.

The lowered international air fare rates could warm any dampening effect on travel overseas for Australians.

Australian Federation of Travel Agents chief executive  Jayson Westbury said Australia "has the benefit of a great deal of competition as more and more airlines elect to fly to Australia", resulting in airfares that have "never really been so affordable than right now".

The Australian Bureau of Statistics show short term resident departures from Australia increased 0.1 per cent during February 2016 (810,600 movements) compared with January 2016 (809,900 movements). This followed monthly increases of 0.5 per cent in December 2015 and 0.3 per cent in January 2016.

Flight Centre corporate affairs manager Haydn Long said he "cannot remember travel being more affordable" in his 16 years in the travel industry. "[The fares to New York] are the cheapest rates I've ever seen."

Airline price comparison sites such as Kayak and Sky Scanner pride themselves on  the ability to provide accessible low fare rates, however the aforementioned Virgin Deals are only available via Flight Centre,  and other low cost fares are available direct on the airline websites, opening the debate on where is best to access the top bargains for airfares.

The Virgin fare is available until April 30 with Flight Centre and is subject to terms and availability between travel periods October 4 to December 8, from most capital cities in Australia to New York.