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Jetstar is bringing back non-stop service between the Gold Coast and Perth, and introducing new international routes to Indonesia and New Zealand from March 2015 through improved fleet utilisation.
The Qantas-owned low-cost carrier said it will be the first airline to offer direct flights between Cairns and Bali when its three-times-a-week flights begin on March 31 with Airbus A320 aircraft.
Meanwhile, the new Melbourne-Wellington service will run four days a week from March 30 and be up against existing operators Air New Zealand and parent Qantas already on the route.
Jetstar Australia and New Zealand chief executive David Hall said the new services represented about 4,000 extra seats a week and was achieved through better use of the existing fleet.
“We’ve done a lot of work revamping our schedule to ensure we can deliver more seats with our existing aircraft,” Hall said in a statement on Wednesday.
“We always need to look for opportunities to increase the utilisation of our aircraft so that we can keep costs down across the network and continue offering the lowest fares to our customers.”
Jetstar said improved market conditions over the past year had paved the way for the reinstatement of Gold Coast-Perth, which the airline suspended in October 2013. It will be the only operator on the route when flights start on March 29.
All three new services involve an overnight red-eye flight in one direction, according to dummy bookings on the Jetstar website.
There will be up to six flights a week between the WA capital and popular Queensland tourist strip, with an evening departure out of the Gold Coast and an overnight red-eye service from Perth.
The Melbourne-Wellington schedule is a red-eye from Tullamarine, landing in the NZ capital at 0605 local time, while the return flight takes off for Melbourne at 0645.
Finally, JQ90 departs Cairns at 2250 local time and arrives in Bali at 0130 the next day, with the reciprocal JQ91 scheduled to head back to Cairns at 0220.
Martin
says:“…landing in the NZ capital at 0700 local time, while the return flight takes off for Melbourne at 0645.” These times appear incorrect unless a 2nd aircraft is being utilised to allow the return flight to leave prior to the arrival time.
australianaviation.com.au
says:Thanks Martin,
The flight from Melbourne lands at 0605 local time. The story has been amended. Apologies for the error.
peter
says:Be good to Jetstar come into Broome and provide boost for domestic tourism into WA from MEL/SYD ideally
Alan
says:1:30am departure from Melbourne in an A320 is a killer for a productive day at the other end
Peter
says:Red eye flights across the ditch is nothing more than an attempt for flight crews to have as little to do as possible.
Ive been forced to fly Jetstar for work and the room between you and the seat in front of you is a disgrace and its like sheep being crammed on a ship bound for slaughter in the middle east