Travellers between Melbourne and Perth will benefit from more choice, reliable service and more competitive fares with Rex adding the popular route to its Boeing 737 domestic schedule from today.
Australia’s Airline of the Year winner will fly five days-a-week between the two cities from Friday 28 June, offering fares from as low as $299 each way economy and $999 for business class.
Rex General Manager Network Strategy, Warrick Lodge said the new service will add close to
90,000 seats to one of the nation’s busiest routes, which is great news for business, trade, tourism and travellers.
“When more airlines compete on a particular route, consumers benefit and our record in the domestic markets speaks for itself – Rex delivers terrific value for money,” Mr Lodge said.
“Rex consistently outshines its domestic rivals in on-time performance and cancellation rates, and when travellers are booking a route of this distance and duration, reliability is paramount.
“Our competitors cancelled 57 flights in total on this route in the first four months of 2024, while their combined on-time arrival and departure performance was only around 72 per cent.”
The new Melboure – Perth route is Rex’s 11th domestic service with its Boeing 737 fleet flying to major capital cities and popular destinations including Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra, Hobart and the Gold Coast.
The carrier will make a further announcement in coming days on yet another domestic route.
Victorian Government Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos said:
“We are delighted with the news of extra flights between Melbourne and Perth and look forward to welcoming even more visitors from Perth to experience all the wonderful things Victoria has to offer.”
Victorian Government Minister for Jobs and Industry Natalie Hutchins said:
“This is fantastic news for Victoria, having direct flights between Melbourne and Perth with Rex will create local jobs and increase our capacity on a key flight route, while bringing more visitors to our great state.”
Members of the Rex Group
Western Australia Deputy Premier, Treasurer and Minister for Tourism and Transport Rita Saffioiti said it was another win for Western Australian tourism.
“We always love welcoming Victorian friends to the west coast, so this is a fantastic announcement for tourism and our local industry here in Western Australia.
“There’s so much to see, do and enjoy in our beautiful State all year round, so I certainly encourage Victorians to make the most of these new flights and book their next holiday to WA.”
And in a huge boost for WA and Victorian families wanting to bag a winter break, Rex has timed the departure of its first flights to coincide with the commencement of school holidays.
Flights are on sale now for travel from Friday 28 June 2024 onwards at rex.com.au or via your trusted travel agent, and all Rex fares include carry-on and checked baggage for travellers.
Melbourne Airport Chief Executive Officer Lorie Argus said Rex’s five weekly service to Perth is great news for the airport’s passenger traffic, travellers, and for tourism in both States.
“We’re excited to see Rex expanding its offering from Melbourne because we know that more choice is great for consumers.
“Having a third airline group flying between Perth and Melbourne will increase competition and allow more people to reconnect with family and friends or explore Victoria’s fantastic tourism offering.”
Perth Airport set a record in 2023 for the number of passengers travelling through its terminals.
Perth Airport’s Chief Commercial and Aviation Officer Kate Holsgrove said that it is great to see Rex Airlines expand their route offerings to the Western Australian market.
“Currently Rex operate four successful regional services within Western Australia. The introduction of Rex’s first interstate routes from our Terminal 2 is a sure sign of their confidence in the Perth market.
“This gives Western Australians more options for travel and we look forward to working with the Rex Airline team to ensure the new routes are successful.”
Rex is Australia’s largest independent regional and domestic airline operating a fleet of Boeing 737-800NG aircraft to 56 destinations throughout all states in Australia. In addition to the airline Rex, the Rex Group comprises wholly owned subsidiaries Pel-Air Aviation (air freight, aeromedical and charter operator), the Australian Airline Pilot Academy with campuses in Wagga Wagga and Ballarat, and propeller maintenance organisation, Australian Aerospace Propeller Maintenance. Rex is also a 50 per cent shareholder of National Jet Express (NJE), a premier Fly-In-Fly-Out (FIFO), charter and freight operator.
