Rex promises 'Qantas service, Jetstar prices' on Sydney-Melbourne flights

Regional Express says it can break Qantas and Virgin Australia's stranglehold over the domestic aviation market by offering full-service travel at budget airline prices when it starts flying between capital cities next year. In what's slated to be the biggest shake up in Australian aviation since the launch of Virgin Blue 20 years ago, Regional Express (Rex) on Wednesday will start selling tickets for flights between Sydney and Melbourne commencing March 1, 2021. The regional carrier's deputy chairman John Sharp said all fares will come with the same perks as flying with Qantas, such as checked baggage, food, pre-assigned seating and online check-in. Eight business class seats on Rex's Boeing 737s will come with Wi-Fi and airport lounge access, with those add-ons and seats with "Rextra" leg room available to other passengers for a fee. "We’re a Qantas with a Jetstar price," Sharp said. "We [will] make it work because we’ve over the years developed a business that runs at a very low cost." Rex will launch in March with three leased Boeing 737s, which Virgin flew before it went into administration in April, and will initially operate nine return Sydney-Melbourne services daily. Two more jets will arrive by Easter, allowing Rex to add Brisbane to its domestic network in the first half of 2021 followed by other capital cities if all goes well. The group said it plans to grow its fleet to eight to 10 jets by the end of the year and wants to be flying on Australia's 10 busiest domestic routes within 18 months. Sharp said he expected Virgin, Qantas and its budget arm Jetstar to respond aggressively to Rex's arrival, but said the group had gone toe-to-toe with the larger airlines on regional routes for 20 years.<br/>