Flight review: REX SYD-MEL

Flying interstate in Australia used to be so easy. Simply grab a seat online and fly.

The problem is flights have become horrendously expensive post-pandemic*

In October TV personality Lisa Millar posted this eye-watering quote to fly Melbourne to Queensland return for over $1700. People piled on in the comments with even more expensive Christmas flights.

Forewarned I went online to book for an upcoming Sydney – Melbourne trip in five weeks. Armed with flight credits with Qantas from the last trip Melbourne that had been covid-cancelled, it turned out that they’d now cover less than 2/3 of the cost.

So I looked around and nabbed a flight at the ‘old’ prices on REX, the regional airline.

How did REX shape up?

When I told friends I was flying REX the feedback was unanimously positive, which made me feel optimistic about the trip.

REX flies from Sydney’s terminal 2. On arrival I was pleased to have only packed carry on luggage as check in and bag drop was rammed.

The lengthy Saturday morning security queue made me also grateful to have arrived at the airport with an hour to spare. It took 15 – 20 minutes to make it through screening and from there it was a short walk to the gate.

I barely had time to sit down before boarding was announced a full 30 minutes before the scheduled take off time.

The 737-800 packs in 160+ passengers in a 3-3 configuration in economy, with 2 rows of business class up the front. It was full, yet the flight got away early.

There’s no inflight entertainment on REX, or charging points for devices, so download your favourite Netflix/podcasts and remember to board with a full battery.

The toilets were standard but even near the end of the flight, just before the seatbelt sign was switched on, they were clean and smelt ok. Something that’s never a given, whoever you fliy.

Service was limited to tea, coffee or water and a biscuit. The crew were fabulous, and seemed genuinely happy and friendly.

We touched down in Melbourne early, with swift disembarkation through the forward and rear doors.

Homeward bound

On the return flight I managed to score the only spot with spare seats in the row. Though the cabin looked a little scruffier, with some wear and tear evident.

Take off was a little delayed but with the wind in our favour we still touched down early.

And what a touchdown! There was a little fish-tailing as we hit the tarmac. Enough for passengers in the front half of the plane to break into spontaneous applause.

Unfortunately (as I was in back row), the distant gate we’d scored in Sydney didn’t come equipped with stairs despite the captain announcing rear disembarkation

Spoiler alert: breaking up with the national carrier

Qantas’s reputation has been blighted in 2022. With a steep rise in cancelled flights, lost luggage and price gauging (let alone issues using flight credits and frequent flyer points) it’s not surprising they recently won a Shonky from consumer organisation Choice.

With an annual salary of AU$2.27 million, CEO Alan Joyce is about to receive a performance bonus of more than twice that. Which rubs salt into the wound of the thousands of staff laid off during lockdown.

Qantas is becoming an increasingly unethical choice. Which is sad as the big Kangaroo was my preferred carrier until now.

While REX lacks some bells and whistles, on such a short flight they win big on the criteria of cost and on time performance. Something Qantas could learn from. Given the popularity of the flights, it seems I’m not the only one happy to welcome this market disrupter.

Update

What’s travelling at the pointy end of the REX intercity hop like? Check out Noel Phillips vlog The BEST Australian Business Class Airline You’ve Never Heard Of.

* Did I say POST pandemic? Despite being masked up from entering the airport to exiting the Uber, Covid managed to hitch a ride. Mid-flight home I noticed a scratchy throat which on return developed into a night of aches, fevers and shakes. I feel very grateful it was such a short trip, so I didn’t have my homeward plans disrupted but I guess its what we risk in this definitely not post, pandemic world.