Jetstar, a low-cost carrier, will begin flying from Canberra to Melbourne and the Gold Coast. In July, Jetstar will begin flying between Australia's bush capital city and Melbourne, and in September, up to Coolangatta/Gold Coast. These flights will bring the number of cities served from Canberra to three with the debut of Canberra-Brisbane flights in December.
Historically, Jetstar has avoided Canberra. Many of the passengers going through that airport are government employees and politicians who prefer full-service carriers like Qantas, which has a variety of luxury lounges there. However, Tigerair Australia, a now-defunct low-cost carrier, had carved itself a niche in Canberra, catering to passengers who had to pay for their own trips. Jetstar is presently entering that market.
JQ654 will depart Melbourne (MEL) at 09:25 every day beginning July 1 for the 65-minute flight to Canberra (CBR), arriving at 10:30. The all-economy Airbus A320-200 will land for 35 minutes before departing at 11:05 a.m. to fly JQ655 back to Melbourne.
"We’re excited to add an additional two routes into Canberra, following the success of our Brisbane Canberra flights which took off only a few months ago," says Jetstar CEO Gareth Evans.
JQ651 will depart Coolangatta/Gold Coast (OOL) at 12:55 every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday beginning September 16 for a one-hour and 40-minute flight to Canberra. It's another short turnaround for the Airbus A320 in service. On the same days, JQ650 departs Canberra at 15:10 and arrives at 16:40 on the Gold Coast.
