Virgin adds/increases Cairns, Darwin, Townsville routes.

[AIRwin]

The Beach is Calling sale is celebrating the launch of a new route between CNS and OOL:

Virgin Australia has your summer sorted thanks to three new Gold Coast services

Virgin Australia continues to expand its domestic network launching three new services in time for summer holidays, including the first commercial service linking Launceston and the Gold Coast in m

newsroom.virginaustralia.com

Boarding the inaugural CNS-OOL flight! CNS airport looks completely different to my last visit in 2019...

 

[AIRwin]

Hope CNS lounge reopens with the 2 new routes (ADL and PER)...

 

[Saab34]

Was the best lounge in my book due to how quiet it always was, and the view out the window. Bathroom/Shower was claustrophobic however not a major point. Being quiet the service was more personal also. Cairns terminal is a zoo half the time during peak low cost carrier rushes.

I come across many people in the lounge namely USA tourists with Premium Delta access, all spoke very highly of the lounge, competed to what they get back home.

However I guess quiet doesn’t make financial sense for them so it’s days are probably gone. Fingers crossed they are just negotiating a lease for bottom dollar.

 

[samas]

Just had my PER-CNS-PER in June changed to PER-BNE-CNS-BNE-PER

Not too phased - I'm booked in J in the DSC promo!

ExpertFlyer shows just a Monday and Wednesday service from 27th June - be interesting to see if that ever gets off the ground or also withdrawn.

 

[AIRwin]

Melbourne-Townsville, being three flights per week from August 17

Suspended indefinitely

 

[Saab34]

Probably got a bit much with Alliance/Qantas launching a E190 on the route daily, in addition to the Jetstar A321 which has been a nightly run forever, Virgin didn’t stand a chance. I did the route in November with Alliance only 40 of us. The return on Jetstar was downgraded to a A320 but still full, just hate the late night departure.

 

[AIRwin]

Flights between ADL and CNS/DRW to be suspended

 

[mrmerc500]

Flights between ADL and CNS/DRW to be suspended

Good pickup. Seems to be seasonal, both routes finish in October & come back online late March.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

And that is the most important time for some, who live in say, ADL, and who want to fly VA to Japan, (rare as hens teeth, maybe), but still, with the VAd ADL - CNS direct flight canned for the Japan winter, it would mean having to trek via MEL/SYD/BNE.

 

[PERLHR]

12am has got to better than 6am, unless you're a backpacker or in your 20's. I'm not sure what others do when arriving at 12am, but I am happy to go to a cheap hotel near the airport to sleep and proceed at a more civilised hour to the hotel where I ultimately want to stay. I guess though in Australia check-in times (10 am checkouts and 3pm checkins) make that more difficult than in Asia where they can be more like 12pm/2pm and even then more fluid.

Never do get the ridiculous 10am check out and mostly the 3pm check-in in Australia. It's.niy even as if hotels are cheap!! Wish they were a bit more flexible like the rest of the world....

 

[Saab34]

it would mean having to trek via MEL/SYD/BNE.

I don’t think anyone needs to worry, going off loads people have other ideas!

Those in Adelaide can go via Perth also with the new service starting soon.

 

[jase05]

I don’t think anyone needs to worry, going off loads people have other ideas!

Those in Adelaide can go via Perth also with the new service starting soon.

From ADL SQ is our best bet unless prices are vastly different.
Last thing I’d want to do is transit at a rubbish PER or any Australian port really.
If we have to transit somewhere it may as well be SIN

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

VA ADL - PER, no J with the 320, and it looks like as if VA is happy to have it this way.
So, if living in ADL, and happy with Y, then its VAd ADL - PER then ANA PER - NRT (putting into the booking your SQ KF #).
Then transfer the KF miles to VFF, with a bit of a loss.
From PER T1 VAd to T1 int, its just a short walk.
ANA will allow a booking on their website, fly VAd from ADL, under one PNR, so no need to approach the VA desk in PER, as passport swipe would have been done at ADL.
Think the last time I had a look, the linked VAd flight still had the VA flight number, not NH, so not sure what class of travel, and if points will be earned in KF for the ADL - PER sector, but will be earned for PER - NRT under NH and *A.
Yeap, SIN is a great airport to transit through.
But so far, I am having my "kicks" in NZ, Japan for me will be a far off one to go, down the runway, far down the runway.