QantasLink Starts Melbourne-Sunshine Coast Direct Flights

27th Jul 2016

QantasLink, the regional brand of Qantas Airways has announced on Tuesday that it will add direct flights from Melbourne to the Sunshine Coast and back for the peak summer holiday. The carrier has also revealed that it will operate four return flights on the Melbourne-Sunshine Coast route from 16th December, 2016 and 21st January next year.

When it comes to its direct service to Sydney, QantasLink has also announced additional return flights on weekends as of 30th October, capitalizing on the success of this route.

Commenting on the new seasonal flights from Melbourne and adding more flights from Sydney, Chief executive officer at QantasLink John Gissing said the airline is supporting local tourism this way.

He also added:

"We're pleased to offer our customers in Victoria direct flights to the Sunshine Coast this summer as it's proved to be a popular destination for Australians looking to holiday close to home. We're always looking at opportunities to expand our network where there is demand and of course, promote the best of what Australia has to offer."

He continued:

"We've seen consistently high passenger numbers on our Sydney to Sunshine Coast services and this prompted us to introduce these seasonal flights."

Mark Jamieson, Mayor of Sunshine Coast welcomed QantasLink's decision to add more flights to the region, saying:

"It is almost a year to the day that we announced the Flying Kangaroo's return to the Sunshine Coast with its Sydney schedule and look at the great progress that has been made over those 12 months. The services that began in December with a leisure-based schedule and then switched to business flight timings in February have been so successful that Qantas has now expanded its Sunshine Coast connection with these Melbourne flights and additional weekend Sydney flights."

He concluded:

"This is an outstanding show of support from Qantas and I'm sure will be much appreciated by our local residents and visitors."

Acting CEO of Visit Sunshine Coast Simon Latchford said Qantas' decision will provide a big win both for the Sunshine Coast tourism industry and the visitors, saying:

"Today's announcement highlights Qantas' strong commitment to the Sunshine Coast and provides more choice for visitors during the peak summer holiday period. This is another significant milestone for our growing tourism industry, supports our growing popularity as a destination and aligns with our domestic marketing efforts to attract more visitors from Victoria."

Mr Latchford added:

"We know the flights in December and January will significantly boost domestic tourism to meet a growing demand during this busy time and are optimistic the trial period will be extended into 2017."