Looks more like VA going after JQ routes and more aircraft available to expand the network to counter the narrative that VA don't really have an extensive network, you would have to have thought that the lack of frequency was losing them lots of corporate clients and any business travel, as well as the other thread talking about all the increased frequency on all the routes that Rex operate on such as SYD-OOL, MEL-OOL and ADL-MEL. All we need now are JQ 787s to OOL and all the airlines will be paying people to fly to OOL!
From the article:
On the ‘Golden Triangle’ between Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, each route gets a noticeable boost by October:
- Sydney-Melbourne rises from 130 to up to 163 weekly return flights
- Sydney-Brisbane increases from 76 to up to 104 weekly return flights
- Melbourne-Brisbane goes from 61 weekly return flights to up to 84 weekly returns
Other increases include Gold Coast flights from Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide; Sunshine Coast from Sydney and Melbourne; Cairns services from Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne; as well as flights from Melbourne to Hamilton Island, Hobart and Launceston.
New to the schedule will be:
- Sydney-Darwin, with seasonal daily flights from July 14
- Perth-Cairns, offering up to four weekly flights from July 26
- Sydney-Townsville, with three flights a week from July 27
- Adelaide-Cairns, with up to four flights a week from August 10
- Melbourne-Townsville, being three flights per week from August 17
SYD-DRW new route (always seemed weird that VA could only get you to DRW via BNE, or did they used to fly this pre-Covid? JQ & QF has been making a killing on this route)
PER-CNS new route for VA (only JQ has been operating this route directly - all other options are via BNE/SYD)
SYD-TSV restored (VA started this route then JQ joined in with both competing pre Covid, high yield defence pax)
ADL-CNS new route for VA (again a route that JQ initiated pre Covid? highly seasonal?)
MEL-TSV new route for VA (again a route that JQ initiated pre Covid? highly seasonal?)
Once winter is over, and provided state border closures cease to be an issue, might see some of these cut back and different ones come out?
For Bain - job done - all leasing companies have taken their haircuts, flown their planes back to the desert, sat around without any takers, and now back into service at sensible leasing rates, probably where they should have been pre-Covid19.