$599 for Jetstar? Inside the rush to be on Western Sydney's first flight

Would you pay $599 for a short domestic hop on a low-cost carrier?

Before selling out completely, seats on Jetstar's inaugural flight out of Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport (WSI) reached an eye-watering peak of $599 per ticket.

While the same route drops back to $59 next month, travellers scrambling to be part of the maiden flight proved that being first off the tarmac at Sydney's first new airport in 100 years comes at a premium.

When Sally-ann Eather saw the price tag for two Jetstar tickets to the Gold Coast hit more than $800, she didn't hesitate.

For the Penrith business owner, paying nearly ten times the usual fare wasn't about the destination - it was about securing a seat on aviation history as Western Sydney Airport officially welcomes its first commercial passengers.

Ms Eather jumped to buy the seats on Jetstar's first domestic flight from WSI, flying out at 11am on Sunday, October 25.

"I didn't even doubt it ... Western Sydney airport is such a big catalyst for change for Western Sydney, and in particular the Penrith region, so I just wanted to be a part of that," Ms Eather told Explore.

Ms Eather bought the tickets for her and her husband as a surprise, to treat them both for working hard at the business they own, construction company Eather Group, and also to celebrate their 22nd wedding anniversary.

She has booked a limousine to take them to the airport, and once they arrive in the Gold Coast, they will be "staying somewhere nice" for the night and flying back the next day.

Ms Eather said the convenience is "next level" for communities that live west of Sydney.

New research from YouGov found 36 per cent of Australians say they are likely to use WSI if a suitable flight was available. This includes 31 per cent of residents outside Greater Sydney, and 54 per cent of Greater Sydney residents.

Jetstar will make history when it flies out of WSI for the first time on Sunday.

Air New Zealand will operate the first international flight out of WSI to Auckland on Monday, October 26.

Other airlines will follow in the coming months including Singapore Airlines in November and Vietjet, Fiji Airways and Qantas in 2027.

For more information about the inaugural flights, see here.

Pictures of artwork and place names around the new airport have emerged celebrating its namesake, Nancy-Bird Walton.

Walton (19152009) was a trailblazing Australian aviation pioneer celebrated for breaking gender barriers and bringing emergency air support to remote rural communities.

An art installation by local Blue Mountains artists depicting Walton's de Havilland aircraft now sits on the wall of the terminal above the travellator at the domestic departure gates.

A new bust sculpture has been commissioned to sit permanently at the airport.

One of the roads leading into the airport has been named Nancy Drive and WSI's air traffic control mast has been dubbed Walton Tower.