Regional Express (Rex) is restoring Boeing 737 flights to the Gold Coast from mid-December. The Sydney-based airline confirmed the restart on Monday morning, along with several other route resumptions. It marks a welcome return to form for Rex.
The airline is also resuming flights between Canberra and Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra, Sydney and Coffs Harbour, and Sydney and Port Macquarie.
“The resumption of our flights will provide a much-needed boost to capital city and regional economies alike, help re-connect friends and families and allow Christmas holidays to be booked with confidence," said Rex's John Sharp.
Gold Coast flights resume on December 17
From December 17, Rex will once again operate up to three return Boeing services a day between Sydney and the Gold Coast. The airline takes on Qantas, Jetstar, and Virgin Australia on the highly competitive route. Queensland to reopening to fully vaccinated interstate travelers on December 17.
On the same day, Rex will also fly between Melbourne and the Gold Coast twice a day using their Boeing 737-800s. Like the Sydney-Gold Coast corridor, the same four airlines will compete head-to-head on this route.
From Monday, November 15, Rex will also resume flying between Melbourne and Canberra using one of their Boeings. The airline only launched the route in late June. One month later, Rex suspended the route after local border closures forced Rex to ground its Boeing fleet.
Also from November 15, Rex will resume flying the shorter Sydney - Canberra route. As before, the airline will use Saab 340 turboprops, flying between one and three return flights a day. Canberra, arguably the best-vaccinated city in the world, is reopening its borders to Sydney and Melbourne in early November.
“Rex passengers can book with absolute confidence because they are protected by our unique Refund Guarantee policy against any COVID-related disruptions," said Mr Sharp. “They know all Rex front-line staff, including our pilots and flights attendants, are fully vaccinated, which gives them even greater peace of mind.”
Rex flights to Coffs Harbour & Port Macquarie resuming
November 15 is shaping up as a busy day at Rex. The airline is also resuming flights between Sydney and Coffs Harbour. They'll be using their 33 seat Saab 340s on the route and competing with Qantas and Virgin Australia. The latter airline also recently announced a return to Coffs Harbour with flights restarting on November 11.
Both Qantas and Virgin Australia use bigger planes than Rex's Saab 340s on this route, so it's going to be interesting to see how Rex goes flying to Coffs Harbour.
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Rex's Saab 340s are also returning to Port Macquarie on November 15, taking on QantasLink's Dash 8s on the run between the mid-north coast New South Wales regional city and Sydney. Rex will fly its planes to Port Macquarie between one and three times a day.
Back to business for Rex
Rex's intrastate flights to many other regional and rural towns in New South Wales are also getting a reboot in the lead-up to Christmas.
Travel between the Greater Sydney area and regional New South Wales will be allowed from early November, and Rex's usual customer base will see improved frequencies and some competitive fares to lure them back into the air.
Rex usually does good business flying professionals like lawyers and doctors out to the country for a week or two's work. In the other direction, people living in regional New South Wales normally fill Sydney-bound Rex planes for appointments, visiting family, and big-city events. Rex will be pleased to see them all back onboard.