Anyone have any thoughts as to why no direct flights have been scheduled Melbourne to Darwin or vice versa considering its the only place regional Victoria can travel? Not profitable? I have noticed Jetstar has availability.
Probably as you say not profitable. Darwin hasn't got alot going for it except for its relaxed (to relaxed imo) border restrictions and covid restrictions in general. I imagine when Melbourne opens up to the NT which hasn't been announced yet but will likely be soon that there will he more flights scheduled. The same happened for Sydney. No flights except for Cargo flew SYD - DRW until the day the borders opened despite regional NSW being allowed in so likely the same for Vic.
@Saulfong3, I'm not sure 'hasn't got a lot going for it' is the best way to describe Darwin. Having been there myself a couple of years ago, I understand the place isn't everyone's cup of tea, but some people actually love the..'subdued' vibe there and also use it as a base to explore our beautiful national parks near by (Litchfield, Kakadu, etc). I think the issue is that it's the wrong time of the year to visit as they're heading into the wet season. Also like you said when Melbourne opens up, there might be more flights. By the way I'm not trying to get at you, just giving a more balanced view here. We should all try to support our tourism operators this year in any way we can :)
Yeah no I definitely agree there's 2 major opinions about Darwin. Personally I don't like living here probably because I'm that person that doesn't like going "outback," but my partner does for the reasons I don't so I certainly understand your point.
For those not familiar with NT, the groceries and other services are generally 15-20% higher than major capital cities although most people do not realise that or consider that into their budget until they arrive here. And if you want to hire a vehicle most major car rentals do not offer unlimited km option AFAIK, the best is 100km per day included which is pretty much useless for going to POIs outside DRW or ASP
And of course regard MEL-DRW routes, regional Vic has 1.5 million vs MEL of 5 million so the demand may not be as much until Melbournians can travel there as well.
The DRW wet season start from late November to April and it can literally rain for days. And not just a few hours per day but sometimes 12-18 hours of heavy rain each day. I travel light so every time I go there during those season, I buy a large $10 brolly from Bunnings or Officework (don't bother with packing small ones, useless in Darwin's wet season) and give it to someone when I leave.
A bit away from the MEL-DRW point, but the major car rental companies in Darwin usually don't allow their vehicles to be driven to a lot of places where tourists want to go. Not even vehicles described as "SUV".
I think it applies for DRW, ASP and AYQ location where unlike some other locations the most "generous" courtesy km is 100km for most major vehicle rental company. You may get better deals from smaller local companies (higher km allowance) although there are still very few that does offer unlimited km options where usually the outfits have only smaller older cars (often closer to 10 years old) which is fine on one hand (less scratch worries since it's old) but more likely to run into trouble in the outback if not serviced regularly/properly (which can be an issue with smaller companies).
And then there is this issue of rental insurance which is pretty much useless if you travel to NT POIs where a significant proportion of access road is unsealed so quite likely many policies will not cover claim with any hint of driving on unsealed road so read your insurance exclusion carefully.
Hence beware of these pitfalls when considering renting vehicles in NT for holidays
I noticed today an update on the Qantas website of domestic routes. Qantas will now be travelling to Darwin from Melbourne via Alice Springs from 15 December.
Darwin is great if you like heat and beer for breakfast 😏 Only so many days you can. Do that for!
Last editedby Benmccartney at Nov 06, 2020, 09:50 AM.
A lot of wealth has left Darwin over the last decade or so and the public service are the main source of income for the city, so a lot of the flying by locals would tend to be more Jetstar oriented anyway and their tourist numbers have been in decline over many years, just far too expensive against many other places, this route could be one that JQ have permanently.
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Qantas Melbourne - Darwin direct flights
Benmccartney
Benmccartney
Member since 15 Aug 2017
Total posts 12
Anyone have any thoughts as to why no direct flights have been scheduled Melbourne to Darwin or vice versa considering its the only place regional Victoria can travel? Not profitable? I have noticed Jetstar has availability.
Saulfong3
Saulfong3
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
Member since 13 Mar 2020
Total posts 11
Probably as you say not profitable. Darwin hasn't got alot going for it except for its relaxed (to relaxed imo) border restrictions and covid restrictions in general. I imagine when Melbourne opens up to the NT which hasn't been announced yet but will likely be soon that there will he more flights scheduled. The same happened for Sydney. No flights except for Cargo flew SYD - DRW until the day the borders opened despite regional NSW being allowed in so likely the same for Vic.
jianga
jianga
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
Member since 07 Feb 2015
Total posts 144
@Saulfong3, I'm not sure 'hasn't got a lot going for it' is the best way to describe Darwin. Having been there myself a couple of years ago, I understand the place isn't everyone's cup of tea, but some people actually love the..'subdued' vibe there and also use it as a base to explore our beautiful national parks near by (Litchfield, Kakadu, etc). I think the issue is that it's the wrong time of the year to visit as they're heading into the wet season. Also like you said when Melbourne opens up, there might be more flights. By the way I'm not trying to get at you, just giving a more balanced view here. We should all try to support our tourism operators this year in any way we can :)
Saulfong3
Saulfong3
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
Member since 13 Mar 2020
Total posts 11
Yeah no I definitely agree there's 2 major opinions about Darwin. Personally I don't like living here probably because I'm that person that doesn't like going "outback," but my partner does for the reasons I don't so I certainly understand your point.
XWu
XWu
Member since 09 May 2020
Total posts 197
For those not familiar with NT, the groceries and other services are generally 15-20% higher than major capital cities although most people do not realise that or consider that into their budget until they arrive here. And if you want to hire a vehicle most major car rentals do not offer unlimited km option AFAIK, the best is 100km per day included which is pretty much useless for going to POIs outside DRW or ASP
And of course regard MEL-DRW routes, regional Vic has 1.5 million vs MEL of 5 million so the demand may not be as much until Melbournians can travel there as well.
The DRW wet season start from late November to April and it can literally rain for days. And not just a few hours per day but sometimes 12-18 hours of heavy rain each day. I travel light so every time I go there during those season, I buy a large $10 brolly from Bunnings or Officework (don't bother with packing small ones, useless in Darwin's wet season) and give it to someone when I leave.
tommygun
tommygun
Delta Air Lines - SkyMiles
Member since 16 Oct 2017
Total posts 282
A bit away from the MEL-DRW point, but the major car rental companies in Darwin usually don't allow their vehicles to be driven to a lot of places where tourists want to go. Not even vehicles described as "SUV".
XWu
XWu
Member since 09 May 2020
Total posts 197
@tommygun
I think it applies for DRW, ASP and AYQ location where unlike some other locations the most "generous" courtesy km is 100km for most major vehicle rental company. You may get better deals from smaller local companies (higher km allowance) although there are still very few that does offer unlimited km options where usually the outfits have only smaller older cars (often closer to 10 years old) which is fine on one hand (less scratch worries since it's old) but more likely to run into trouble in the outback if not serviced regularly/properly (which can be an issue with smaller companies).
And then there is this issue of rental insurance which is pretty much useless if you travel to NT POIs where a significant proportion of access road is unsealed so quite likely many policies will not cover claim with any hint of driving on unsealed road so read your insurance exclusion carefully.
Hence beware of these pitfalls when considering renting vehicles in NT for holidays
Benmccartney
Benmccartney
Member since 15 Aug 2017
Total posts 12
I noticed today an update on the Qantas website of domestic routes. Qantas will now be travelling to Darwin from Melbourne via Alice Springs from 15 December.
Darwin is great if you like heat and beer for breakfast 😏 Only so many days you can. Do that for!
GBRGB
GBRGB
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
Member since 21 Jan 2014
Total posts 292
A lot of wealth has left Darwin over the last decade or so and the public service are the main source of income for the city, so a lot of the flying by locals would tend to be more Jetstar oriented anyway and their tourist numbers have been in decline over many years, just far too expensive against many other places, this route could be one that JQ have permanently.