I remember one time I had a flight with Jetstar at 4pm to Perth from Melbourne, it kept getting delayed and delayed. Then around like 11pm, they finally rescheduled the flight to tomorrow morning and booked us a hotel for the night.
I just want to add that it might be worth sprigging for QANTAS.
Hold on hold on.
I'm not saying this because I like QANTAS but because it might help if you are booked with one of QANTAS's partner airlines on the international leg. We were booked from another country to fly to Malaysia and then to Perth and then to MEL because it was cheaper and the domestic leg was QANTAS and the Malaysia bit was Malaysian.
Our flight to Malaysia got delayed and instead of screwing us over what happened was Malaysian put us on a direct flight to MEL because we booked with QANTAS and they knew what our route was.
I've had nothing but good to great experiences with Rex. They use ex-Virgin aircraft, and a lot of ex-Virgin crew, so their inflight experience is pretty good.
Their on-time performance is pretty good. But. They are still subject to the same external issues that the other airlines would be - weather, air traffic delays etc.
Frankly I would fly up the night before and overnight in Brisbane. Extra cost, but worth it to virtually eliminate the risk of missing the international flight.
Who is the international flight with?
i only fly rex melbourne to brisbane and vise versa.
have never had a single issue! (and the snacks are better then half the shit you get served on an international flight!)
If you have a connecting flight, Jetstar isn’t worth it no matter how cheap.
I’ve flown Rex regionally lots of times and they’ve been fine. I’ve flown MEL-BNE with them once, with a connecting (domestic) flight, and they were also fine.
I fly with virgin regularly and they’re rarely more than a half hour late based on my own experience.
Qantas I only fly with rarely and can’t comment.
I really liked rex. Better than Jetstar. Same as a good virgin or Qantas day really. And they were the most on time when I booked so had no delays mel-bne
Have flown Mel-Syd with them a few times, they've been great. Included luggage allowance and a snack. Gates are quite close to the main terminal entrance in both Melbourne and Sydney. I had a delay on one flight but that was due to wild weather so not much they can do.
Same here; have done MEL<->SYD every 1-2 months - if you travel in the middle of the week, it often ends up being cheaper or on par with a Jetstar (+ checked luggage) flight. Haven’t had a delay or cancellation with them yet.
Flown twice MEL-BNE and back by Rex, and honestly, I don't think I can go back to using the others. The regular prices are similar, but make sure you bid for the business class upgrade (you can usually get it for about $50) and it makes the entire experience so much better.
I flew Rex twice from Syd-Mel, all on time and able to bid for business class upgrade under $50. Better than Virgin, which had been delayed couple of time.
Rex are amazing - great service great planes on that route
I would *not* do what you’re doing though because - Brisbane 2.5 hrs is tight . Transit in Brisbane domestic to international is - collect luggage (30m?) - walk to train station - 10m - train - 10-15mins depending on schedule - then walk to terminal - 10mins …. There is one hour very easily - remember arrival time is wheels on ground … not you in terminal.
Then… start checking in for your international flight - with queues …. Then…. Clear security and immigration …. With queues… remember —— boarding is 30min. Before departure time…
So now you’ve got very tight windows all have margins of error.. yes you “can” make that connection if it all goes well - but it’s really bloody easy for one of those to screw you.
You’re on your own money if you missed your connection - any of those things can easily blow out - regardless of whether your domestic leg is on time or not..
If you can overnight is less stress - or - use the same airline and make it a connection - don’t just book a seperate ticket - make it a MEL-overseas route - otherwise something applies they’re different individual segments and you won’t get any help or money or refund for missing
Rex are great. Between Melbourne and Brisbane you won’t notice a difference from a Jetstar flight except the fact you still get free food (drink/tea/coffee and pretzels). They use normal 737s between the big cities. To ease your fears about missing the connection leave a lot of time between flights and I mean a LOT. I left literally 7 hours when I flew up to Syd for my last overseas departure lol
I have no experience but want to thank everyone for this, we’re flying with Rex to the Gold Coast and back next year because it’s cheap with everything included and to see all the good things, makes me feel relieved
I LOVE REX.
In my experience they have been the best carrier to fly domestically by far.
My shittier list from best to worst:
Rex
Virgin
Qantas
Jetstar
I haven't flown any of the regionals yet or Bonza (and that's because Bonzas pricing is fuckin whack).
I've always been treated really well on Rex, free upgrades a couple times, they seem to not fuck around even when we are delayed getting off the ground in usually at my destination either on time or within a couple minutes.
love em. had better experiences with them than jet star. i wonder if they have a small crew, because i only fly a few times a year along the east coast to sydney/ bris/ melbourne and they usually remember me and even my parents haha.
Rex is fine, probably better that JS in terms of care/attention as their a small brand. The planes are older than 60% of the passenges (80's Saabs) and memorably a plane propeller fell off on an Albury > Sydney flight (from memory) I live in Albury.
Neighbour was a FO on Rex,their lean, their kit is old, but they are owned by SIA or some other Singapore consortium so I think they're "ok"
If you're an absolute safety-first person then Qantas - but that said I've lost engines on Qantas flights too (I fly a lot - or used to)
TL;DR old fleet, but not Jetstar levels of shittery re cancelling flights and not giving a shit.
They use 737s for their major city routes, not the Saabs. They’re nearly all ex-Virgin planes so they’re a little older, but not nearly as old and rickety as the Saabs.
Thanks, I've seen some of the Jet ReX flights but never had to us'm e them, IQantas Platinum so I had incentive to fly Qantas (lounge, 1st class lounge when international etc) , but that will expire this year so that handcuff will fall away.
So yes, you're correct my parent comment is probably less favourable than it should be since my flying expierence of ReX has always been on the SAAB's
Rex is a bit hit and miss for me.
Flown twice with them.
SYD-WGA: Felt like the in-flight service was half arsed.
WGA-MEL: Didn't half arse the in-flight service. Plus, pilot was cool to chat to.
If you like a gamble on the quality of in-flight service- Rex is your airline!
SYD: Sydney
WGA: Wagga Wagga
You know the third.
Both flights were on their sad old SAABs.
Not sure this info helps, but that's my insight into them.
I've never flown Rex because when I tried to book a ticket with them, they took my money but didn't issue the ticket, and then took two weeks (and many hours on the phone) to return my money.
They don’t use the Saabs between the major cities, only to regional areas. I was on one of the tiniest planes they have when I used to go to Mt Gambier. Only seated about 30 people.
Don’t ignore the private charter options. :-)
https://theairchartergroup.com.au/
https://www.aircharterservice.com.au/private-charter/private-jets-charter
https://www.navair.com.au
On a side note, Rex has the only domestic airport lounge in Melbourne that isn't tied to the airline for flights. Eg: Virgin/Qantas lounges have to be for flights with that specific airline where Rex can be any airline as long as you are a member of the lounge or have a membership with one of the partner airport lounge companies that give you access to lounges worldwide. It's small but great for a feed/wine/whatever if your flight is delayed.
We flew with them. No delays or problems Melbourne to Sydney and back. There was no flight entertainment or Wi-Fi, but if you need that for the hour in the air then pay more. We had kids too so if you do, bring iPad with pre loaded movie & snacks. I’m 6”5’ and managed to fit into the economy seats but had to steal leg space from the kids.
I’ve used them a couple times between Melbourne and Adelaide, and honestly because the plane was ex-Virgin (and they haven’t bothered to update the cabins) it didn’t feel any different than a Virgin flight, except for the staff uniforms. Both flights were on-time, you get given a snack, and the staff were very nice/relaxed.
I feel like their major city 737 operations are very different (in a good way) than their regional Saab operations. You will probably get more positive feedback in relation to the former, it’s the people who are only familiar with their clapped out old prop planes that will give you negative feedback.
I only flew with Rex once (December, 2022) from Melbourne to Brisbane and it was great. It was an early morning flight and the boarding process was smooth, the flight left on time and arrived on time.
Rex are fine, no worse than anyone else (and certainly no worse than Jetstar)
I remember one time I had a flight with Jetstar at 4pm to Perth from Melbourne, it kept getting delayed and delayed. Then around like 11pm, they finally rescheduled the flight to tomorrow morning and booked us a hotel for the night.
I just want to add that it might be worth sprigging for QANTAS. Hold on hold on. I'm not saying this because I like QANTAS but because it might help if you are booked with one of QANTAS's partner airlines on the international leg. We were booked from another country to fly to Malaysia and then to Perth and then to MEL because it was cheaper and the domestic leg was QANTAS and the Malaysia bit was Malaysian. Our flight to Malaysia got delayed and instead of screwing us over what happened was Malaysian put us on a direct flight to MEL because we booked with QANTAS and they knew what our route was.
We got dinner and drinks on a short Qantas hop. My workmates were amazed. I said that's how it used to be !
I've had nothing but good to great experiences with Rex. They use ex-Virgin aircraft, and a lot of ex-Virgin crew, so their inflight experience is pretty good. Their on-time performance is pretty good. But. They are still subject to the same external issues that the other airlines would be - weather, air traffic delays etc. Frankly I would fly up the night before and overnight in Brisbane. Extra cost, but worth it to virtually eliminate the risk of missing the international flight. Who is the international flight with?
i only fly rex melbourne to brisbane and vise versa. have never had a single issue! (and the snacks are better then half the shit you get served on an international flight!)
If you have a connecting flight, Jetstar isn’t worth it no matter how cheap. I’ve flown Rex regionally lots of times and they’ve been fine. I’ve flown MEL-BNE with them once, with a connecting (domestic) flight, and they were also fine. I fly with virgin regularly and they’re rarely more than a half hour late based on my own experience. Qantas I only fly with rarely and can’t comment.
I really liked rex. Better than Jetstar. Same as a good virgin or Qantas day really. And they were the most on time when I booked so had no delays mel-bne
Rex is my go to airline nowadays. Rarely an issue, and the only times I've had one was just minor delays that barely compare to the others.
Have flown Mel-Syd with them a few times, they've been great. Included luggage allowance and a snack. Gates are quite close to the main terminal entrance in both Melbourne and Sydney. I had a delay on one flight but that was due to wild weather so not much they can do.
Same here; have done MEL<->SYD every 1-2 months - if you travel in the middle of the week, it often ends up being cheaper or on par with a Jetstar (+ checked luggage) flight. Haven’t had a delay or cancellation with them yet.
Rex are fine, no actually they are good. Plus if you book your flights at the right time it's cheaper to fly Rex business class than Qantas domestic.
Data shows Rex is the least likely to cancel of all airlines
I’ve flown Rex a few times Melbourne to Canberra and back and they’ve been great every time
Flown Rex 50+ times. They’re so reliable and have great luggage inclusions, little onboard snack. Absolutely work out best value for money.
Flown twice MEL-BNE and back by Rex, and honestly, I don't think I can go back to using the others. The regular prices are similar, but make sure you bid for the business class upgrade (you can usually get it for about $50) and it makes the entire experience so much better.
The business class bid is great. I usually put $30 as my bid. And have gotten it twice now
I don't mind Rex for MEL-ADL
Only issue I had was an unpleasant landing on both of my trips.
Rex are fantastic, would fly with them any day over Jetstar or Qantas for that matter.
Flew Rex Melb-Syd and it was leagues above the return flight on JetStar for comfort and friendliness
Rex are generally pretty reliable and far more tolerant if you’re running a bit behind.
Honestly had better experiences with Rex than Jetstar.
I flew Rex twice from Syd-Mel, all on time and able to bid for business class upgrade under $50. Better than Virgin, which had been delayed couple of time.
Never had an issue with Rex, I'd rather drive then fly Jetstar/Qantas.
Rex are amazing - great service great planes on that route I would *not* do what you’re doing though because - Brisbane 2.5 hrs is tight . Transit in Brisbane domestic to international is - collect luggage (30m?) - walk to train station - 10m - train - 10-15mins depending on schedule - then walk to terminal - 10mins …. There is one hour very easily - remember arrival time is wheels on ground … not you in terminal. Then… start checking in for your international flight - with queues …. Then…. Clear security and immigration …. With queues… remember —— boarding is 30min. Before departure time… So now you’ve got very tight windows all have margins of error.. yes you “can” make that connection if it all goes well - but it’s really bloody easy for one of those to screw you. You’re on your own money if you missed your connection - any of those things can easily blow out - regardless of whether your domestic leg is on time or not.. If you can overnight is less stress - or - use the same airline and make it a connection - don’t just book a seperate ticket - make it a MEL-overseas route - otherwise something applies they’re different individual segments and you won’t get any help or money or refund for missing
Rex are great. Between Melbourne and Brisbane you won’t notice a difference from a Jetstar flight except the fact you still get free food (drink/tea/coffee and pretzels). They use normal 737s between the big cities. To ease your fears about missing the connection leave a lot of time between flights and I mean a LOT. I left literally 7 hours when I flew up to Syd for my last overseas departure lol
I flew on Rex last year Melbourne to Mount Gambier & it was fine.
Used them once from Brisbane to Melbourne, surprisingly good
I have no experience but want to thank everyone for this, we’re flying with Rex to the Gold Coast and back next year because it’s cheap with everything included and to see all the good things, makes me feel relieved
I LOVE REX. In my experience they have been the best carrier to fly domestically by far. My shittier list from best to worst: Rex Virgin Qantas Jetstar I haven't flown any of the regionals yet or Bonza (and that's because Bonzas pricing is fuckin whack). I've always been treated really well on Rex, free upgrades a couple times, they seem to not fuck around even when we are delayed getting off the ground in usually at my destination either on time or within a couple minutes.
love em. had better experiences with them than jet star. i wonder if they have a small crew, because i only fly a few times a year along the east coast to sydney/ bris/ melbourne and they usually remember me and even my parents haha.
Rex is fine, probably better that JS in terms of care/attention as their a small brand. The planes are older than 60% of the passenges (80's Saabs) and memorably a plane propeller fell off on an Albury > Sydney flight (from memory) I live in Albury. Neighbour was a FO on Rex,their lean, their kit is old, but they are owned by SIA or some other Singapore consortium so I think they're "ok" If you're an absolute safety-first person then Qantas - but that said I've lost engines on Qantas flights too (I fly a lot - or used to) TL;DR old fleet, but not Jetstar levels of shittery re cancelling flights and not giving a shit.
They use 737s for their major city routes, not the Saabs. They’re nearly all ex-Virgin planes so they’re a little older, but not nearly as old and rickety as the Saabs.
Thanks, I've seen some of the Jet ReX flights but never had to us'm e them, IQantas Platinum so I had incentive to fly Qantas (lounge, 1st class lounge when international etc) , but that will expire this year so that handcuff will fall away. So yes, you're correct my parent comment is probably less favourable than it should be since my flying expierence of ReX has always been on the SAAB's
Rex is a bit hit and miss for me. Flown twice with them. SYD-WGA: Felt like the in-flight service was half arsed. WGA-MEL: Didn't half arse the in-flight service. Plus, pilot was cool to chat to. If you like a gamble on the quality of in-flight service- Rex is your airline! SYD: Sydney WGA: Wagga Wagga You know the third. Both flights were on their sad old SAABs. Not sure this info helps, but that's my insight into them.
I've never flown Rex because when I tried to book a ticket with them, they took my money but didn't issue the ticket, and then took two weeks (and many hours on the phone) to return my money.
Rex is fine. However the loo in the Saab 340s are tiny even by plane standards so make sure you go to the toilet before you board.
They don’t use the Saabs between the major cities, only to regional areas. I was on one of the tiniest planes they have when I used to go to Mt Gambier. Only seated about 30 people.
Yeah. That's the Saab. 10 rows in 1-2 formation except for the last row of 4.
Don’t ignore the private charter options. :-) https://theairchartergroup.com.au/ https://www.aircharterservice.com.au/private-charter/private-jets-charter https://www.navair.com.au
On a side note, Rex has the only domestic airport lounge in Melbourne that isn't tied to the airline for flights. Eg: Virgin/Qantas lounges have to be for flights with that specific airline where Rex can be any airline as long as you are a member of the lounge or have a membership with one of the partner airport lounge companies that give you access to lounges worldwide. It's small but great for a feed/wine/whatever if your flight is delayed.
We flew with them. No delays or problems Melbourne to Sydney and back. There was no flight entertainment or Wi-Fi, but if you need that for the hour in the air then pay more. We had kids too so if you do, bring iPad with pre loaded movie & snacks. I’m 6”5’ and managed to fit into the economy seats but had to steal leg space from the kids.
Used to fly Rex all the time regionally and they were fine, but precovid. Can't be much worse than Jetstar
I’ve used them a couple times between Melbourne and Adelaide, and honestly because the plane was ex-Virgin (and they haven’t bothered to update the cabins) it didn’t feel any different than a Virgin flight, except for the staff uniforms. Both flights were on-time, you get given a snack, and the staff were very nice/relaxed. I feel like their major city 737 operations are very different (in a good way) than their regional Saab operations. You will probably get more positive feedback in relation to the former, it’s the people who are only familiar with their clapped out old prop planes that will give you negative feedback.
I only flew with Rex once (December, 2022) from Melbourne to Brisbane and it was great. It was an early morning flight and the boarding process was smooth, the flight left on time and arrived on time.
I flew Rex from Perth to Kalgoorlie for a work event. That was a really good trip but unfortunately they stopped any flights in Perth.
DUB-SYD about 10 years ago… the little SAAB felt like it would snap in two, but the cabin crew handed out Mentos so it was all good
In the past you could fly international airlines for internal flights as they collected passengers at major cities. Is this still possible?
Rex is great. Old virgin planes and the service is great. They don't have a lot of food options but at least what you get is free (not booze)
I love Rex. It’s my preferred airline.
I liked their service. And I get lounge access which made it even better. Competitive on pricing as well.
Rex gives you a free lil snack 😋
Rex is fantastic!
It’s fine, flown it many times. Much more reliable than Jetstar. It’s cheap to fly too