Rex launches its own frequent flyer program (in October 2023)

AIRwin said:
Rex has launched flights between ADL and SYD, one of three inaugural routes this week (others being CNS-HND on VA yesterday and SYD-RAR on JQ tonight):
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Not one remark about Qantas? Surely not possible.

Interesting they didn’t mention the 2 new jets. June is nearly over and the first is nowhere to be seen.

One little tidbit: Mr Sharp said, “When Rex launched domestic services, our primary goal was to enhance our regional network and expand our footprint.” Conveniently forgetting their whole plan was predicated on Virgin going kaput. Changing their tune a bit there.
 
Harrison_133 said:
One little tidbit: Mr Sharp said, “When Rex launched domestic services, our primary goal was to enhance our regional network and expand our footprint.”
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We can say they did "enhance" their regional network?
 
Every now and then I get to wondering just what Rex is trying to achieve, so here’s my latest speculation:

- they’ve finally realised that they can’t replace the Saab340s like for like, or even with other sized aircraft, sufficiently economically for the routes they fly. If they could they’d already be well into that project.

- they’ve started the jet operation and are now going all in on that as the future of the company.

- at some point the jet operation will be rebranded with a new name and company structure to seperate it from Rex, because…

- the regional operations will eventually be closed down due to <insert any of the spin you’d like in here>; maint costs too high; can’t get crewing; making no money on regional routes etc etc. And you can’t have a jet operation that doesn’t fly ‘regionally’ called Rex. Maybe they could call it Silk Air and get a proper tie in with SQ? 🤣

- there’s no current or imminent freq flyer program because why start something for Rex when that brand is probably going to get worse PR. Instead there will probably be some other loyalty related program based on the renamed jet operation. It may not be traditional, such as joining another companies program: a bank, petrol brand or, credit card company led program???

Anyway, who knows with Rex. They have to do something because they’re otherwise just slowly going out the back door.
 
Scarlett said:
Every now and then I get to wondering just what Rex is trying to achieve, so here’s my latest speculation:

- they’ve finally realised that they can’t replace the Saab340s like for like, or even with other sized aircraft, sufficiently economically for the routes they fly. If they could they’d already be well into that project.

- they’ve started the jet operation and are now going all in on that as the future of the company.

- at some point the jet operation will be rebranded with a new name and company structure to seperate it from Rex, because…

- the regional operations will eventually be closed down due to <insert any of the spin you’d like in here>; maint costs too high; can’t get crewing; making no money on regional routes etc etc. And you can’t have a jet operation that doesn’t fly ‘regionally’ called Rex. Maybe they could call it Silk Air and get a proper tie in with SQ? 🤣

- there’s no current or imminent freq flyer program because why start something for Rex when that brand is probably going to get worse PR. Instead there will probably be some other loyalty related program based on the renamed jet operation. It may not be traditional, such as joining another companies program: a bank, petrol brand or, credit card company led program???

Anyway, who knows with Rex. They have to do something because they’re otherwise just slowly going out the back door.
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Yeah they are screwed in the long term without a direct viable Saab 340 replacement, all the replacement options are too big/expensive/require security screening and have no speed advantage over the Saab 340 although they would have a lower per-seat operating cost if they could be acquired cheaply. I'd be guessing that their current problems are more of a pilot shortage and/or engineering and spare parts.

It looks like they are going to lose the security screening battle with CASA so maybe getting in under security screening regs is now longer so important? I wonder if they ever considered the hundreds of ERJ140/145s parked out in the desert, the operating economics per hour aren't as good as the ATR42/Dash 8 but if they really are screwed for pilots as they say they, are then the speed advantage of second-hand ERJ-140/145s would surely mean that you could get more sectors in a day/more sectors out of each crew per day and possibly replace 3 or even 4 Saabs with 2 ERJ's on a frame by frame basis.

I'm thinking that the long-term plan is to get Fed and State subsidies or ACCC exemption for formalized monopoly routes high enough to continue flying a reduced Saab 340 fleet to places that are, and will be uneconomic for Qantas Dash-8s, or any alternative ATR operator to cover. Might be more of a state-by-state basis as some states (QLD, NSW and SA) are more affected by the potential loss of the Saab 340 fleet than other states. There would also be some gamesmanship of maintaining valuable slots at Mascot with the imminent arrival of the second SYD airport in that the regional aircraft slots can be leveraged to maintain larger Jet slots so they can argue that their ops all stay at Mascot and don't get banished to WSI.
 
Just did their ADL J lounge mini tour.
As mentioned in life, low expectations... is apt.
No wonder its only $33 per entry.
Small, tight...
No loo.
Has grog.
Small footprint as in sq m.
Quite tight.
Pity that Rex is still LCC.
Min staffing.
 
Scarlett said:
- the regional operations will eventually be closed down due to <insert any of the spin you’d like in here>; maint costs too high; can’t get crewing; making no money on regional routes etc etc. And you can’t have a jet operation that doesn’t fly ‘regionally’ called Rex. Maybe they could call it Silk Air and get a proper tie in with SQ? 🤣
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Better chance of a REX/Bonza merger with PAG (REX) being the acquiring party at this point ;) Bonza's MAX 8's is the direct replacement for the old VA -800s right there ;)
 
They have already tied in with DL.
Never flown DL, but according to some on here, they provide a good service.
Because Rex has a limited number of planes, they make use of theirs to the "max", so if one is incoming late, then your flight might be 2.5 hours late dep your airport of dep.
My flight, ADL - MEL was supposed to be a 14:00 dep, arr MEL 15:45 or so, didn't dep till nearly 16:45, arr MEL 19:05 or so, early Jul.
Until Rex gets more planes, even if they bring out their FF system, I am not flying them again.
The on time performance is poor, even if no one wants to admit it.
No pilots, so flights are cancelled, what confidence is that.
 
AustraliaPoochie said:
They have already tied in with DL.
Never flown DL, but according to some on here, they provide a good service.
Because Rex has a limited number of planes, they make use of theirs to the "max", so if one is incoming late, then your flight might be 2.5 hours late dep your airport of dep.
My flight, ADL - MEL was supposed to be a 14:00 dep, arr MEL 15:45 or so, didn't dep till nearly 16:45, arr MEL 19:05 or so, early Jul.
Until Rex gets more planes, even if they bring out their FF system, I am not flying them again.
The on time performance is poor, even if no one wants to admit it.
No pilots, so flights are cancelled, what confidence is that.
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On the SYD-MEL and vv however they seem to have a pretty good record compared to say VA. I don’t think i’ve had one on time departure on VA in the last two months. 30 mins would be a good day, and hour or more is usual.

Unlike Qantas however, on VA you can’t swap to the next flight if it is leaving within 30 minutes.
 
Put it this way, Rex has a long way to go, even if it did have a FF program.
(((SYD - MEL vv with Rex, yes, I have seen their daily timetable, a lot of ZL flights between the 2, ADL - MEL only twice a day!))).
 
AustraliaPoochie said:
They have already tied in with DL.
Never flown DL, but according to some on here, they provide a good service.
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The Delta partnership is incredibly overhyped. Booking on the Delta website still puts you on a Virgin flight for the domestic leg in Australia. Apparently you can book through online and in-store travel agents, but I’m yet to find one online site that offers a Rex/Delta combo. Again, searches yield Virgin/Delta options. And neither Rex (apart from the initial press release) or Delta mention the partnership on their respective websites.
AustraliaPoochie said:
Because Rex has a limited number of planes, they make use of theirs to the "max", so if one is incoming late, then your flight might be 2.5 hours late dep your airport of dep.
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Despite having limited 737s, they actually have a lot of slack in the schedule compared to the other carriers, with longer turn arounds (a lot more 50-60 min ones) and some aircraft not operating a full day of flights (a lot more downtime).
 
Just noticed, the last flight of the day, for todays VAd, ADL - PER, 6pm, got cancelled.
Pity those who had to fly to PER this evening, if they had onward connections from PER to overseas with another airline.
No 6pm ADL - PER with QFd either, so totally stuck.
Not that it affects me (this time round), but now I get it, that yes, VAd also does cancel flights, though that both QF and VA would pull any free planes to fill a gap, but this VAd one, of course, it could be for lack of an operating crew.
 
Harrison_133 said:
The Delta partnership is incredibly overhyped. Booking on the Delta website still puts you on a Virgin flight for the domestic leg in Australia. Apparently you can book through online and in-store travel agents, but I’m yet to find one online site that offers a Rex/Delta combo. Again, searches yield Virgin/Delta options. And neither Rex (apart from the initial press release) or Delta mention the partnership on their respective websites.
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DL/ZL is basically a glorified interline, although DL still puts VA or QF interlines ahead of the ZL options on the booking engines.
 
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Harrison_133 said:
From today’s investor briefing, they’re saying the frequent flyer programme will be launched in Q1 FY2024.

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We've been there many times before throughout 2021 and 2022. Nothing eventuated.

Considering REX's numerous IT platform issues, similar to VA's ongoing IT issues, a Q1 '24 is way too ambitious unless if the Singapore consortium are willing to spend the CapEx to fix their IT and Booking systems.
 
There's certainly some movement afoot.

REX registered rexflyer.com.au on the 9th of August 2023. It is certainly theirs:

Registrant: REX AIRLINES PTY LTD Registrant ID: ABN 58642400048 Eligibility Type: Company >>> Last update of WHOIS database: 2023-09-16T14:31:42Z <<<

So I would say they are planning on showing something in the near future, I am not sure exactly what level of functionality it would have.
 

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