Qantas and Jetstar will operate thousands of flights to and from Melbourne and regional Victoria over summer following the New South Wales government’s decision to open its borders. From 23 November, Qantas and Jetstar will operate more than 250 flights per week across five routes, offering travellers 48,000 seats between the two states. This compares with just 10 return flights per week operating between Melbourne and Sydney (the only route currently operating between NSW and VIC). Both carriers will look to add more flights if there is sufficient demand.
The flights will see the Qantas Group’s overall domestic capacity increase from around 30 percent per cent of pre-COVID levels to just under 40 percent from late November, with more aircraft ‘woken up’ and more employees returning to work to support the additional flying.
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Qantas and Jetstar have introduced a number of initiatives to help customers to book with greater flexibility, including allowing a flight to be moved free of charge, as well as introducing additional health and safety measures through its Fly Well programme.