Travel agents in Australia are facing further competition as online booking sites have drop booking fees of up to $50.

Online booking sites including Expedia and ZUJI Australia both removed the fees on all flights.

Expedia has announced that fees will be dropped for a six week period and expressed that it could make the change permanent if one million people visited their website by October 18.

ZUJI Australia said customers will pay the cost of the flight without any further travel agency booking fees.

Expedia has already scrapped booking fees on its US and Canadian websites, with marketing manager Louise Crompton saying that it was time for Australians to enjoy the same benefit.

ZUJI Australia’s general manager, Peter Smith, said the removal of booking fees is a turning point for the industry and a vote of confidence for the Australian economy.

He believes that charging booking fees for online transactions is now outdated and is unfair to travellers given the tough economic times.