QantasLink will switch one of its five daily flights between Sydney and Coffs Harbour to a Boeing 717 aircraft. The change will take effect from Sunday, 29 March 2020. It comes just weeks before Tigerair withdraws from the Sydney-Coffs Harbour and Melbourne-Coffs Harbour routes.
Currently, the Sydney-Coffs Harbour route is served by QantasLink exclusively with smaller Bombardier Dash 8 turboprop aircraft. QantasLink operates up to five flights per day, prioritising frequency, while Virgin Australia has a single daily Boeing 737-800 service on the Sydney-Coffs Harbour route.
The Qantas Boeing 717 will fly to Coffs Harbour every day except Saturday. These are the upgraded flights:
- QF1506 Sydney (SYD) 08:45 – Coffs Harbour (CFS) 10:00
- QF1507 Coffs Harbour (CFS) 10:40 – Sydney (SYD) 11:55
The larger Boeing 717 jet aircraft is faster, offers more seats and has Q-Streaming in-flight entertainment available. It will also provide a more comfortable passenger experience than the QantasLink Dash 8 – especially for those lucky enough to score a Business class seat!
Qantas does not sell Business class on the Sydney-Coffs Harbour route, but the QantasLink Boeing 717-200 aircraft has 12 Business class seats.
These coveted seats in rows 1-3 will likely made available to top-tier frequent flyers such as Qantas Platinum One members booked in Economy. They could also become available for selection by other passengers around 80 hours before departure.