Australian domestic travel 10 years on

[dajop]

I was going through a box the other day and came across some old timetables, including the northern summer timetables of AN & QF from 2000 (ie Mar 26 2000). This was just prior to the advent of the first LCC (impulse who started their 717 operations IIRC in about June 2000).

It got me thinking, apart from the lost off AN and the rise of DJ & JQ and the associated move downmarket, what has fundamentally changed for travellers in Australia over that time? The main thing seems to more routes and more flights.

I did a quick comparison for flights originating in MEL and this is what I found:

New Routes: (ie domestic destinations you can fly to nonstop now, that you couldn't in May 2000)
Darwin, Broome, Townsville, Mackay, Rockhampton, Ballina, Coffs Harbour, Karratha, Kalgoorlie, Griffith, Wagga (used to be via ABX)

Vastly increased frequences:
Alice Springs: 10x weekly (was 1 x weekly)
Cairns: 24x weekly (was 4 x weekly) (not counting coming Tiger expansion)
Gold Coast: 100x weekly (was 42 x weekly)
Sunshine Coast: 27x weekly (was 4x weekly)
Newcastle: 24xweekly, on jets, (was 10xweekly on 36 seat Dash 8's)

Increased frequencies (weekdays):
Adelaide: 24 daily (was 20 daily, increase solely due to TT)
Brisbane*: 29 daily (was 25 daily)
Canberra: 18 daily (was 13-14 daily)
Perth: 15 daily (was 10 daily)
Sydney*: 74 daily (was 58 daily)
Hamilton Island: 5 weekly (was 2)

Reductions in frequencies:
Hobart: 12 daily (was 15 daily, but seat numbers increased as many were on CRJs)
Launceston: 10 daily (was 13 daily, ditto re CRJs)
Devonport: 4 daily (was 7 daily)
Burnie: 4-6 daily (was 6 daily)
Albury: 3 daily (was 6 due to onward WGA flights)
Merimbula: 7 weekly (was 10 weekly)
Mt Gambier (if you count O'Connor flights that are no longer)

Same frequency: Mildura (although big increase in capacity due to aircraft mix), King Island

Destinations lost: Portland*

Destinations started within the period and lost: Wollongong, Ayers Rock, Kangaroo Island

* Does not include flights from Avalon or Essendon

Just looking at the range of destinations available one can only conclude it has become easier and by and large cheaper to get to a lot of places than it was 10 years ago, no surprises there. I am sure the figures for other cities tell a similar tale.

 

[lilypily]

wow,thanks for all of this info,we also have LOST a full cost carrier,as in ANSETT

 

[samh004]

Destinations started within the period and lost: Ayers Rock

Thanks for that, but isn’t this route still around? You can fly from CNS, PER and SYD and via ASP to other destinations.

 

[dajop]

Thanks for that, but isn’t this route still around? You can fly from CNS, PER and SYD and via ASP to other destinations.

As you indicate you can via other destinations. I was just considering non stop services, and there was a period for about 3-4 years (?) where QF had non stop MEL-AYQ flights. Discontinued early 2009 IIRC.

 

[anat0l]

Most fascinating - thanks for putting this together.

My ear has only really been on the ground about domestic travel for the last 4-5 years, which was well after the fall of Ansett. It's interesting to see how the market has changed.

 

[Timba-Jet]

(impulse who started their 717 operations IIRC in about June 2000).

It got me thinking, apart from the lost off AN and the rise of DJ & JQ and the associated move downmarket, what has fundamentally changed for travellers in Australia over that time? The main thing seems to more routes and more flights.

A very intersting topic. For people like me who have only started in recent years, we have not lived through a market dominated by 2 full-service carriers (QF & AN) and are used to having the option for QF or other LCCs DJ & JQ (DJ not so LCC anymore).

I wonder what the market would be like now if AN was still around today?

 

[lilypily]

A very intersting topic. For people like me who have only started in recent years, we have not lived through a market dominated by 2 full-service carriers (QF & AN) and are used to having the option for QF or other LCCs DJ & JQ (DJ not so LCC anymore).

I wonder what the market would be like now if AN was still around today?

very different indeed.

 

[pauly7]

very different indeed.

Hmm who knows...! If Ansett/Air NZ had held on for even a few more months (some say weeks) there would have been an excellent chance they would have swallowed DJ and survived. DJ was pretty much on the table and ready to sell then they got wind that Ansett was about to be cut loose....

But to survive I think Ansett/Air NZ may have had to follow a drastic new strategy perhaps even 'new world' strategy a la DJ anyway... so maybe the end result wouldn't have been that much different!....

 

[lilypily]

we would still have good ole Ansett,and I for one would still have my Ansett reward points

 

[dajop]

A very intersting topic. For people like me who have only started in recent years, we have not lived through a market dominated by 2 full-service carriers (QF & AN)

Aah, so you've probably never experienced (domestically anyway) 21,14 & 7 day advance purchase fares, fares with minimum stays or must stay away saturday nights and oneway fares that were much more expensive than returns.

I can remember a sale in 1995 SYD-BNE return for $149 (according RBA inflation calculator, thats $214 in 2009), a must have, never heard of fare, that I bought. Not terribly special in todays terms though (red edeals at the moment on QF are either $150 or $196 return, depending on dates of travel). Usual 21 day adv purchase fares were about $229 ($329 in 2009).

 

[ejb_nz]

Aah, so you've probably never experienced (domestically anyway) 21,14 & 7 day advance purchase fares, fares with minimum stays or must stay away saturday nights and oneway fares that were much more expensive than returns.

I can remember a sale in 1995 SYD-BNE return for $149 (according RBA inflation calculator, thats $214 in 2009), a must have, never heard of fare, that I bought. Not terribly special in todays terms though (red edeals at the moment on QF are either $150 or $196 return, depending on dates of travel). Usual 21 day adv purchase fares were about $229 ($329 in 2009).

My first ever flight was around 1990 and was PER-SYD rtn and 21 day advance purchase cost over $1000.

Thank god for deregulation.

ejb

 

[equus]

IThis was just prior to the advent of the first LCC (impulse who started their 717 operations IIRC in about June 2000).

But I think you will find if you go back 20 years, the actual first LCC in Australia was actually Compass which started operations in 1990, and lasted for a bit over a year.

 

[dajop]

But I think you will find if you go back 20 years, the actual first LCC in Australia was actually Compass which started operations in 1990, and lasted for a bit over a year.

Yes excluding them as they were perhaps ahead of their time, and up against the behemoth of AN & TN (and on MKII a rogue director). I actually have a "first day flier" certificate at home somewhere as I travelled on YM on their first day of operations to travel from MEL-BNE to head north for 3 months of vacation work in Qld. They sent these out to pax as a memento for travelling with them on their first day in Dec 1990.

But as for the first LCC, what about East West's hops MEL-SYD via ABX, I did not fly them (that was certainly before my first flight) and did not pay attention too much at the time, but I do remember they caused a bit of a stir before AN bought them.

 

[JohnK]

Interesting to see how things have changed.

I really only started to fly domestic routes regularly in 2004 (only had a SYD-BNE return and SYD-MEL return prior to 2000) and AN was well and truly gone.

 

[kpc]

In 1990, a return Syd-Adl airfare was in the mid $300s. I bought one trip for $272 (on a "rock bottom" sale) and thought I got an absolute bargain!! With the recent sales, you can can get the same itinerary on QF for $198 some 20 odd years later!! (even cheaper if you fly DJ or TT:shock

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Yes excluding them as they were perhaps ahead of their time, and up against the behemoth of AN & TN (and on MKII a rogue director). I actually have a "first day flier" certificate at home somewhere as I travelled on YM on their first day of operations to travel from MEL-BNE to head north for 3 months of vacation work in Qld. They sent these out to pax as a memento for travelling with them on their first day in Dec 1990.

I remember only a few years back seeing some file footage from a TV network depicting an overhead shot of SYD Airport & seeing a YM A300-600 ie Compass MKI. It bugs me so much I usually call the TV network and give them a rocket. How many others here get annoyed at poor continuity of aircraft in movies etc where a widebody will take off then a narrowbody lands. :evil: :evil:

But as for the first LCC, what about East West's hops MEL-SYD via ABX, I did not fly them (that was certainly before my first flight) and did not pay attention too much at the time, but I do remember they caused a bit of a stir before AN bought them.

Air NSW (WX) used to do that as well via CBR. I remember flying the return sector some time in the 80's - actually it was the same night as the Hoddle St massacre.

I remember buying an Apex fare on TN to the Gold Coast ex SYD in November 1986 that was AUD202.00 return - 30 day advance purchase & 7 night min stay away.

Those were the days!

Cheers

Oz

 

[Dr Bob]

But as for the first LCC, what about East West's hops MEL-SYD via ABX, I did not fly them (that was certainly before my first flight) and did not pay attention too much at the time, but I do remember they caused a bit of a stir before AN bought them.

And what a stir did that cause in ABX. I can remember people buying a MEL-SYD return for around half the price of a ABX-SYD return & then trying to get on in ABX with little success. Although some managed probably with actions that would get them arrested today. The one way SYD-MEL was very popular but some idiots booked luggage & wondered why they couldn't get it in ABX.

 

[Ms Lucy]

A little longer than 10 years but....

I flew on Hazelton from Traralgon to Sydney via Albury for a weekend in 1995. The sole flight attendant on the way up had our refreshments (sandwich, muesli bar, apple and 'Prima' juice in brown paper bags) in a washing basket next to her small rear-facing seat at the front of the cabin.

The flight home on the Sunday evening was in an even smaller aircraft so no flight attendant. It was one of the first, if not the first, of their Sydney / Traralgon direct flights. As our pilot hadn't landed there before, he did a few circles of the Latrobe Valley, I guess to check it out first. Seeing the lights of the power stations and the dredges in the open-cut mines from the air was a bit of a buzz!

( I also remember the pilot giving the usual spiel about remaining in your seat until advised. We dutifully did exactly what we were told (polite country people?). No-one moved when we landed. Pilot shut off the engine, fiddled around doing whatever they have to do, then grabbed his bag from beside his seat and stood up to get off. Was stunned to see all his passengers still sitting in silence waiting (well, we HADN'T been told it was okay to move). "It wasn't that bad, was it???", he said. It HAD been a long and somewhat bumpy ride due to winds at that time, resulting in a delay of about an hour leaving SYD, but basically everyone was just doing exactly as instructed.)

 

[drron]

Ah but back in 1969 a TAA student fare in F return SYD-POM was only $10 more than Y.My first and only paid F fare.Quite rightly thought I could drink more than $10 worth of beer-I do share a birthday with David Boon.

 

[hazel]

In the 70's I was at boarding school in Vic & would fly home to HBA regularly. I would get the free Ansett bus from the Ansett office in the city & the luggage would be checked in on the bus. I miss the airline bus & the carbon paper tickets.
I also went on a lot of 'Standby Fares' - they were very exciting.