REX adds Hobart to it's network, but Monkey Mia passengers are furious.

REX BOEING 737-8FE VH-REX (MSN 36609)

REX airlines today announced it is taking another step towards a national jet network with the start of direct flights between Hobart (HBA/YMHB) and Melbourne (MEL/YMML).

The daily flight will take off from the 17th of August, with Rex now promoting one-way launch fares at $79 in economy and $349 in business class as it elbows its way onto a route currently dominated by Qantas, Virgin Australia and Jetstar.

The Rex Boeing 737 will depart Melbourne at 12.15pm to reach Hobart at 1.30pm; the return flight departs Hobart at 2.15pm, touching down in Melbourne at 3.30pm.

REX is also adding Sydney-Adelaide to its Boeing 737 jet service from the 29th June, with Deputy Chairman John Sharp saying each new route “brings us one step closer to our ambition to fly between every capital city in Australia.”

Rex has two additional Boeing 737s on the way to help bolster its steadily growing network.

But while REX is celebrating the new routes, passengers in the Western Australia are furious.

Passengers onboard a delayed Rex Airlines flight last Thursday who were travelling from Perth (PER/YPPH) to Monkey Mia (MJK/YSHK) were told mid-flight the plane wouldn't be stopping at the popular tourist spot and was continuing north to the final destination of Carnarvon (CVQ/YCAR).

Passengers were informed they could either remain in Carnarvon, 350 kilometres from their intended destination, or take a return flight to Perth. A boarding school student travelling alone on a flight home was among those onboard who had intended to get off in Monkey Mia. With his boarding house closed for the school break, heading back to Perth wasn't an option for 17-year-old Indie Oakley.

Instead, he waited in Carnarvon for his parents to collect him by car 4 hours later.

A Rex Airlines spokesperson refused to respond to detailed questions, including why the decision was made not to stop at Monkey Mia or what support was offered to passengers at the time.

"With regards to individual incidents, Rex is not in a position to comment on the regulated routes of which Monkey Mia/Carnarvon is one," they said in a statement.

"Such matters are regularly discussed at the community consultative group held by the Department of Transport, and we believe that is the right forum to be raising these questions, not here with you."

Flights to Monkey Mia occur once a day on northbound routes to Carnarvon.

An additional eight passengers were affected by the airline's decision to not stop at Monkey Mia, with six arranging a private bus to shuttle them to their destination, and a further two accepting a lift with the Oakley family.