Tigerair's birthday sale: 10,000 airfares for a dollar each Consumer champions ... Tigerair Australia CEO Rob Sharp with airline staff. CASH-STRAPPED budget carrier Tigerair is keeping up the pressure on domestic airfares with the offer of a $1 return fare to mark its seventh birthday. The catch is travellers must book and pay for the outbound leg of their trip in order to qualify for the $1 fare back home. Over ten thousand of the dirt cheap fares are on offer from midday today until sold out, for travel from July 16 to September 22 next year. Routes include Melbourne-Sydney, Brisbane-Melbourne, Adelaide-Sydney, Brisbane-Cairns, Melbourne-Mackay, Sydney-Brisbane and Melbourne-Gold Coast. Tigerair takes off ... the budget carrier is maintaining downward pressure on airfares as Australia's "consumer champion." Pic: James Morgan Source: Supplied But the fares rise sharply - by as much as 40 per cent - when travellers add extras like baggage and food, which are not included in the $1 return fare. It's the first time since Boxing Day last year that Tigerair has offered the $1 return fares but Head of Communication Vanessa Regan said the airline had "a lot to celebrate." "We've opened a new Brisbane base, taken delivery of two new aircraft, created 250 new jobs, launched five new routes and flown well over 15 million passengers," said Ms Regan. The airline is also in the process of being bought out by Virgin Australia, which has negotiated a $1 fee for the remaining 60 per cent stake. SOLD: Virgin Australia to pay $1 for remaining 60 per cent of Tigerair Last week, Virgin Australia CEO John Borghetti announced he planned to have Tigerair "breaking even" by late 2016, six months earlier than expected. In 2013-14, Tigerair posted a $77 million before tax loss. Bargain ... Virgin Australia CEO John Borghetti negotiated a $1 price for the remaining 60 per cent stake in Tigerair. Ms Regan said Tigerair was Australia's "consumer champion" and would continue to provide great value fares. "Our standard lead in fares are typically the lowest in the market and if we're not the cheapest for some reason it's likely that our flights are already full," she said. Our fares are based on demand and so the best deals are generally found if you plan ahead and book early, like our seventh birthday sale. Tigerair's first Brisbane to Cairns A320 jet arrives at the Cairns Airport. Pic: Supplied Source: Supplied The latest Federal Government index of domestic airfares showed a slight rise in best discount prices in Australia, as a result of a capacity freeze by the major carriers. In November, the cheapest fares on offer averaged 62.3 per cent of full economy fares, compared with 59.3 per cent the previous month and 61.6 in November last year. Business class fares also crept up to 88.5 per cent of the standard business fare, compared with 81.5 per cent a year ago.