Aussy topside help, please

[Pamdiv]

I am trying to book a roundtrip flight from Cairns to Ayers Rock. Is Qantas the only carrier between these two places? They are asking for an arm and a leg for this flight and I sure would like to find more competitive prices. Any info is greatly appreciated.
Pam

 

[alcina]

Competitive prices and Australia do not go hand in hand.

I believe there may be other regional air services, but Qantas is the big player. Expect all internal regional flights to be pricey. No competition, small market and huge distances all work against cheap flights.

Good luck!

 

[Pamdiv]

That sound you just heard was my wailing heart. Ok. I have til June, so I'll search some more. Thanks for the quick reply. -Pam

 

[alcina]

As far as I can find, Qantas/Qantas Link are the only options. I am seeing around $305 for February return. That's a pretty good price!

Try contacting the Visitor's Centre or Tourist Bureaux in both Cairns and in Alice Springs - they may have smaller charter company details.

 

[h3o]

Virgin Blue and Jet Star are the discount airlines in Australia. The equivalent to Southwest if you live in the U.S., Easy Jet and Ryan Air if you live in Europe, Asia Air if you live in South-east asia, etc...

 

[Darnold9999]

Be aware that Virgin Blue has strict weight policies. Otherwise they were great on the short haul flights. First time I have ever been on a jet that loaded on a first come first serve basis. It actually worked.

 

[alcina]

The discount airlines have limited service so finding a flight to/from your chosen towns can be problematic...Qantas has specials sometimes, but they are often extremely restrictive.

Note that the regional carriers (smaller airlines or services) also have very strict baggage limits, no matter if you just came off an international flight. I got nailed this last October after almost 10 years of flying the same route - and the kicker was that I had far less luggage/weight than at any time before!

 

[skippy77]

virgin blue

 

[almitywife]

btw, its Aussie not Aussy

 

[almitywife]

if you want to get a comparison on all airlines on the one screen - this site is good

http://webjet.com.au/Index-jetweb.asp