I'd be interested to test current perceptions around Rex as a business travel option.
I've a few trips coming up that could be either with Rex (closest airport) or Qantas (additional 45 minutes' drive). Booked in advance, price will be about the same with either airline.
I've been following the news stories, which started in the News Corp papers and are now getting wider coverage, with the engineering union suggesting there's a culture where defect reporting is aggressively discouraged if it causes delays. Rex is blaming it on a "disgruntled" engineer.
What's making me a bit uncomfortable is that Rex also appears to be hostile to the regulator (describing the leak about corrosion as "cowardly and despicable") which isn't the ideal relationship that I, as a passenger, would like my airline to have with them.
I'm not a nervous flyer, and know the odds of a disaster in Australian aviation are tiny. Rex has always been fine for me thus far. But...
Initially, my thought was to ignore the news story as potential journalistic excess, but a week since the coverage started, I've been delaying booking forthcoming travel, and the Rex stories are still coming.
So, take the shorter journey, or play it safe and go with Qantas? Until it shakes out, I'm inclined towards the latter, by the way.
If Rex was really that bad CASA would have stopped then from flying. While their aircraft maybe on the old side they have operated relatively without incident for a long time. They are trusted by defence and other organisations. I would take what is the quickest route.
This seems to be similar to the action licensed engineers took with Qantas a while back. The leaking of what are routine issues to a public that wouldn’t know if it was serious or not, combined with a news organisation who’s journalists are incentivised by page views. So I’d ignore it.
"CASA has confirmed it has no current issues with the safety of REX aircraft. This follows intensive work over the last month reviewing allegations made about short comings in REX maintenance."
Rex is a bit of a strange beast (take a look on their website's investor relations annual reports and the strange titles they give them ... 2007/08 is titled "Annus Horribilis", 2008/09 is "Annus Horribilis II", 2013/14 is "Last Man Standing" etc).
Still, CASA did ground Tiger only few years ago, so I can only presume that as a regulator they aren't afraid to shut down flights if they think there is a genuine safety issue 🤷♂. And unions often play the safety card for their own purposes.
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Concerns over Rex safety
TtheTraveller
TtheTraveller
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
Member since 24 Aug 2018
Total posts 25
I'd be interested to test current perceptions around Rex as a business travel option.
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TtheTraveller
TtheTraveller
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
Member since 24 Aug 2018
Total posts 25
And an article form The Guardian for context: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/jul/05/rex-airline-denies-claims-of-rust-on-planes-propeller
StuParr
StuParr
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
Member since 01 Mar 2012
Total posts 203
If Rex was really that bad CASA would have stopped then from flying. While their aircraft maybe on the old side they have operated relatively without incident for a long time. They are trusted by defence and other organisations. I would take what is the quickest route.
S
S
Member since 13 Sep 2013
Total posts 118
Read news.com.au and you will believe that your Rex flight will drop out of the sky.
Red Cee
Red Cee
Member since 15 Feb 2018
Total posts 151
Anything reported in News Corp, I would take with a grain of salt.
GB18
GB18
Member since 24 Oct 2018
Total posts 16
I have other reasons I try to avoid REX mostly to do with luggage limits and past experiences with luggage being damaged.
Mal
Mal
Member since 14 Jun 2013
Total posts 109
andyf
andyf
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
Member since 07 Dec 2014
Total posts 55
Rex is a bit of a strange beast (take a look on their website's investor relations annual reports and the strange titles they give them ... 2007/08 is titled "Annus Horribilis", 2008/09 is "Annus Horribilis II", 2013/14 is "Last Man Standing" etc).