Qantas announce 5 new routes

Here’s some good news for ski-lovers.

Qantas is making Australia’s snowfields more accessible this winter, launching three new flight routes to Cooma and Albury, the gateways to New South Wales’ and Victoria’s ski resorts from 1st July until the 26th September.

From Cooma, customers can access the popular resorts of Perisher Valley, Thredbo, and Charlotte Pass in New South Wales.

From Albury, customers can access Falls Creek and Hotham resorts in Victoria.

Flights from Sydney to Cooma are timed to allow travellers to depart after work on a Thursday or Friday and return Sunday evening, meaning a long weekend of skiing without losing time to driving. The flights from Brisbane will offer Queenslanders the only direct airline connection to the snowfields this season.

“We’re expecting these flights will be popular with skiers and snowboarders who might not have been able to hit the slopes through COVID last season in Australia or overseas,” says QantasLink CEO, John Gissing.

“Our new direct flights to Cooma and Albury will mean ski enthusiasts can spend less time on the road and more time on the mountain.”

All flights will be operated by QantasLink’s turboprop Q400 aircraft.
Sydney  to  Cooma – flights will operate three days per week.
Brisbane to Cooma – flights will operate two days per week
Brisbane to Albury – flights will operate two days per week

QANTASLINK DASH 8 Q400 VH-LQD (MSN 4371)

Qantas will also operate regular flights from both Sydney and Brisbane to Norfolk Island over the coming months, giving travellers the chance to fly ‘overseas’, yet without the burden of border restrictions or hotel quarantine. From the 19th March 2021, the airline will run three flights per week from Sydney as well as three flights each week from Brisbane, “initially” for a three-month period: hinting there could be an extension.

Norfolk Island is an external territory of Australia, around 2-2.5 hours east of the mainland.

That puts these flights outside the purview of Australia’s international ‘travel ban’ – although the services will depart from (and arrive back into) the international terminals at Sydney and Brisbane. Even so, passports are not required, with an Australian driver’s licence or proof of age card sufficient ID: although passports are “preferred” by the Australian Government, to help expedite passenger processing at each end.

As Norfolk Island has not been declared a 'hotspot' by New South Wales or Queensland, there are no restrictions on entering these states from Norfolk Island, and thus, no compulsory quarantine.
With one-way fares in economy starting at $412 from Sydney or $390 from Brisbane, flights are now on sale as below:

Sydney to Norfolk Island
Monday, Wednesday, Friday
QF179
9:30am-1:10pm
2hrs 40min

Norfolk Island to Sydney
Monday, Wednesday, Saturday
QF180
2:10pm-4pm
2hrs 50min

Brisbane to Norfolk Island
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday
QF183
9:30am-1:45pm
2hrs 15min

Norfolk Island to Brisbane
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
QF184
2:10pm-2:35pm
2hrs 25min

These routes will all be served by Qantas’ Boeing 737 jets, offering both business class and economy.

QANTAS B737-838 VH-VZM (MSN 34192)