ONBOARD The Australian Airline You've Never Heard Of
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ต.ค. 2024
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I took a flight on an Australian airline with a very unexpected business class product.
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Great to see some genuine Australian content - outside of international flights into Melbourne/Sydney it’s rare for a TH-camr to be showing off the domestic Australian sector. Thanks for giving us some exposure Noel!
Thanks a ton!
@@noelphilips if you have time on this trip I reckon you should do some challenge to try and visit each major Australian city (Darwin, Brisbane, Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide) in one day - I don’t believe any of your rivals have done something like this before 😏
@@julianm1078 have you played with the timetables? i had a quick search on qantas/jetstar and it is doable with those 6 cities. this assumes all the planes arrive/depart on time and there are no delays. I have a start from Darwin and moving in a clockwise direction finishing in Perth.
Great to know that it is in fact possible! Now we need @noelphilips to get to work 😁
Australian domestic flights are nothing great, not even business class
Virgin Australia had a huge crisis a few years back (basically they went bankrupt) but were bought out by Bain Capital. Rex picked up the 737s from Virgin Australia for cheap, as well as a lot of Virgin pilots and FAs during COVID.
That's exactly what happened. It actually look great in Rex colours!
Rex are hiring the 737-800 of Boeing
And what everyone fails to mention is that they did so with the help of government corruption providing them with a massive handout to opportunistically pick up these aircraft. They never needed the financial support no one else got. Not to mention they've always been known for skimping on aircraft maintenance.
Didn't know they picked up the crew as well - interesting! I must admit those VA jets might be old, but they're still pretty comfy... especially considering what constitutes "business class" on intra-EU narrowbody flights. That said, looking forward to QFs new Airbuses.
I think a lot of the crew came from TT as that was completely shut down in the VA restructure, but no doubt some VA crew made the move too. The Rex 737 operations and service are pretty much a direct copy and paste of the pre bankruptcy VA procedures. Even a lot of the onboard announcements have the same wording, and the cabin retains the virgin branding except for the logos replaced with the Rex one. Rex would do a lot better if they started forging their own brand identity and actually advertised as 1, most people don’t even know who they are. and 2, those that do know, most don’t realise they fly jets between the cities or think they’re flying Saabs on these routes so avoid them.
That approach coming in from the north past the Sydney CBD always puts a smile on my face. It tells me I'm in my home town
It’s the greatest feeling for a Sydneysider!
Oh my gosh … what a treat… 3 Aussie Noel videos in 3 days!! Merry Christmas to us!
Rex is great and you can now bid for upgrades. My Business Class flight on Rex in January was cheaper than Deathstar (Jetstars) base fare. Rex is my go-to airline now.
Looking forward to the Bonza inaugural flight review with 737 MAX. if it ever gets off the ground....
Death Star 😂😂😂😂
I met a person who only bidded $15 for the upgrade and got it
@@adriankaczmarek5141 thanks for that tip. I booked Economy coming home as it was $449 for Business class. I'll try $25 and go from there
I had the opportunity to fly this exact route (albeit in economy, not business) just a few months ago with Rex while in Australia for a study abroad program. The plane was nice, flight attendants friendly, price was cheap, and the baggage allowance is simply fantastic when compared to nearly any other airline. Glad to see you enjoyed the flight as well!
Thanks Noel. I too flew Rex business recently Sydney - Melbourne return. Fare on short notice was cheaper than Qantas or Virgin economy and the experience was excellent. Lounge in Melbourne a little below par compared to Rex's Sydney lounge but service on board was brilliant. I hope they can continue to provide much needed competition in these lucrative east coast routes.
Rex basically took the opportunity presented by the COVID reshuffle with Virgin Australia slipping into and back out of receivership which saw the Tiger subsidiary close and Virgin slim down, including losing its 777s and A330s. Likewise the Delta partnership with Virgin Australia was offloaded (they switched to United) which again provided an opportunity for Rex.
VA still own 2 777s that havent been sold or leased out, they are stored at wellcamp. noels b738 was a much older version, not the newer BSI versions, but it does have the over ocean life rafts for ETOPs
@@mwethereld Gotta wonder what Virgin will do with those 777s though.
They're up to some really bizarre stuff, like NZ continuing to be a black hole while they try and redefine Japan as short haul and send 737s there (starting next year) 😬😬
They seem hell bent on not using the 777s ever again.
I wondered what happened to Tiger. had not heard that name in a few years
@@mwethereld They don't appear to have remained in VA ownership. The final 777 departed Wellcamp in February. It's old rego (VH-VPD) now belongs to a Robinson R66 helicopter.
I booked a Rex 737 flight from Melbourne to Sydney 24 hours out from departure and the only seat available was a an AUD $299 Business Class seat, which was cheaper than Qantas Economy. Had the exact same meal too!
Thanks ! I flew them a week ago from Sydney to Melbourne .Very impressed .Check in was easy .The lounge was basic , but very peaceful.The flight was very pleasant .Unfortunately they ran out of hot meals , but the salad served was very tasty and the wine was excellent.I hope they do well .Australian airspace needs more competition !
"Move or I will knee you in the nuts." That had me crying 🤣🤣🤣🤣! As always great video love to see you in Australia (my home).
😁
Hi Noel, I wish I’d discovered you earlier but anyway, I’m here now and a happy subscriber! I was housebound for a few weeks waiting for surgery and now on recovery. I used to travel a lot back in the 00s and miss it. Im enjoying your channel and living vicariously through it until I can get out and about again (I’ll still watch) 😊
Hey Miranda , nice to meet you, when was the last time you flew with Australia airline ?
In my view, the duopoly of Virgin and Qantas could do with a little competition. Australia is an odd market, in air travel terms and has long favoured the national airline. The much reported troubles at Qantas has created an opportunity for the like of Rex to drive a wedge into the establishment and be succcesful. Great review, Noel. Thanks for sharing - hopefully the weather sweeping across the US has not impacted you too much. Happy Christmas.
Bring back Ansett
Jetstar are the only other airline that competes directly with Virgin and Qantas. All three fly to the two main Tasmanian airports. More competition is always better.
(Correction. Just found out that Jetstar is owned by Qantas. So that rules them out).
I guess you were right. look what Happened with Qantas and the Government and Qatar
it sucks the government at the time didn't try and save it @@SkeeterEats
I like when you put the price on the screen. Ive missed it the last few videos.
Glad to see them do well. And I hope it continues. The airline industry in Aus is so volatile I hope to see them do well for many years.
Couldn't agree more with your comments, I took a REX (ex virgin) 737 from Brisbane to Sydney about a year ago and was amazed at the service. I booked them because they were cheaper than the competition and it immediately felt like a virgin aircraft when I got on board but it was the service that was exceptional, no frills and not trying to be something they're not. Won me over. I love REX and its now my preferred airline for our domestic market.
when i start an airline i will be encouraging noel to fly on it. the validation he gives sprouting airlines like this is really hopeful, and gives me motivation
You're literally sitting in the same seat in the same plane I was on in October 21, was pleasantly surprised to how good the business class was especially for such a short hop flight to Sydney. I've flown on all the Aussie airlines domestically , REX's service is hands down the best, always friendly staff and have very little delays and flight cancellations
They're a great airline and have an excellent customer service. I'd fly with them any day
Hey Roxanne! Nice to meet you, when was the last time you booked with Australia airline ?
Just out of curiosity, do you tell your seat mates what you do? I love seeing the weird looks they give in your videos and have any of them give you a hard time not having their faces on TH-cam?
Beautiful Aussie shelf cloud there while you were holding…
Rex's 737 operations have just gone bust this morning, the company has entered administration. It's quite sad because their 737 service was actually good and now we're stuck with going back to the duopoly again. Hopefully Rex's Saab 340 regional flights will survive.
Very sad but I guess that's the reality of our Aviation Industry here in AU :(
Great choice Noel. I try to fly Rex every time, between cities and regionally. Friendly staff and VERY Australian.
Very Australia! Are you serious!
They’re owned by a Singaporean company…… Very Asian, pay to get your facts right
wish they would fly btw Townsville and Melbourne...that would be awesome - thanks Noel for the videos and Merry Christmas to you and the crew
Being a Wagga Wagga girl Ioved this video. REX is a great airline, excellent safety record, competitively priced, customer focussed (unlike Shitstar, Qantas) and doesn't cancel flights without warning like the others. They do a fabulous job too of keeping remote Australians connected with the more populated areas for a reasonable price. I find it amusing that a non low cost airline can make good $$ by offering an exceptional service without being overpriced.
That weather put you on a very unusual overwater routing from BNE to SYD. Rarely used. Normally southbound flights go inland following, more or less, the line of the Great Dividing Range and Upper Hunter Valley.
Merry Christmas Mr. Phillips! I'm pleased to hear you and family are new U.S. citizens; you will be an asset to our country. Welcome!
I would like to see a review of Bonza if they ever get off the ground. They have 3 737s sitting idol at Sunshine Coast airport whilst waiting for CASA approval which has taken forever. 🤔
Lucky enough to see one at Mackay last week doing a trial run.
The bids for business class upgrades can also be cheap as. I flew Melbourne to Canberra for a $25 upgrade.
Another fantastic video from Noel! Well done, keep up the great work!
Glad you enjoyed it!
@@noelphilips Stop taking $ from established scams!!!
Appreciate how you move around the world, place to place, trying different airlines.
Ive flown Rex a few times as i live regional, and i would not fly anyone else, very happy with their service, and their prices are unbeatable.
Nice view of Moreton island and the big sand hills
What an awesome review of REX. Thanks for showing us a fair and honest review. Let’s hope they really will compete against the big guys!
Another Australian here that wants to chime in on just ho good Rex have been to the big city routes. I probably flew about 10-15 legs with them this year, and the crew has been consistently fabulous in their work and communications. I also got to fly with them in business a couple of times in recent weeks as they seem to have a flat fare of $350, which at times is cheaper outright than the competition in economy when needing to fly particular times. Only two gripes - still no frequent flyer program (I hope they retroactively recognise past flights once it is finally introduced), and the Melbourne lounge is dreadful. But otherwise they are the best of the lot.
Thanks for flying with us Noel! Great review 😊
My pleasure!
Great to see some Aussie airlines by you Noel and that Rex is doing well. Need them for competition alone.
I flew on the Rex 737 from Sydney to Melbourne in May 2021, was pleasantly surprised with it, the staff hands down have to be some of the kindest and warm individuals I've experienced on a domestic Australian flight, whilst I've only flown with them once I highly recommend anyone travelling domestically in Australia to give Rex a go.
"Sydders" is the correct colloquialism! Top marks! (From a Sydney-sider).
That was awesome! Australia is definitely on my bucket list. Rex seems like a wonderful domestic airline, kind of reminds me of Air Wisconsin back in the day (now United Air Express).
I enjoy your travels. It always love seeing the huge number of different airlines throughout the world, especially in the Pacific. Welcome to the USA, btw!
Only business flight I’ve ever had was Melbourne Sydney on Rex! 1 hour flight lots of wine lots of cheese! Was so good!!! Would recommend
Probably the only flight I've been on that Noel has been on. REX are great and this service is one I did last year. It was fantastic. The best part was that they have an upgrade service available and you can actually see if you're the leading bid so I was able to fly business class for only $40 more than economy which was a nice win.
I’m in the hospital and the meal on the Brisbane to Sydney run actually looks better than the hospital for. 😃 Can’t win them all.
I imagine this service will cover all the major Australian cities: Brisee, Sydee, Melbee, Perthee, and Adelaidee.
Unfortunately not. Rex do not fly out of Perth to any of the major cities. This would be a game changer for us because the services out of Perth are lacklustre at best. Rex only appear to service the eastern states but would be a logical next step to begin operations to Perth as and when they expand their fleet.
Adelaidee is my favourite
@@rogana5158able 😁
@@julianm1078 Rex does fly out of Perth as a regional service. They replaced Skywest, and visit all major regionals and seasonal ports. Talk is, they look to expand to adding States like NT and SA. So, Perth-Adelaide or Perth-Darwin, ect.
@@carrisasteveinnes1596 The successor to Skywest is Virgin Australia Regional which took over Skywest's business and aircraft. But perhaps REX may have won some of their routes since then.
Glad to see you had a great flight on Rex. I think they are quite a force to be reckoned with, especially as they find their place with the B737-800s on the mainline routes between the big cities.
My question for you Noel is do you get consent from your fellow passengers to film them?? Am just curious how that works.
Recently did ADL -MEL in economy, and was certainly a nice experience. Snack provided (incidentally the same ones on your Qld soujourn!) Flown REX quite a bit in the past from ADL and to Tassie. They will get my business again.
Agree, Rex is the best around at the moment! Service is incredible
Yes i Enjoy your videos.....Thanks....Enjoy your Holidays
RIP Rex’s 737 😭 as of 30 July they ceased all 737s. Pretty sad day for Aus aviation.
Merry Christmas Noel Philips and family!
Thanks Noel for yet another awesome video from Down Underrrrr!!!!!! Rex is a growing airlines and hopefully will be a big contender to the Australian air space. If the service is also good in economy as it was in business then they have a great chance beteewn flying the Aussie big cities. If I am correct they were doing great flying the smaller communities of the Outback,.
Looking forward to another video cheers
I always fly REX business now. The staff are always so lovely
They really are!
ooh noel! i didn’t recognise at all! I was the gate agent from brisbane! i’m glad you enjoyed your flight with us 🙌
Just flew recently with REX for Business in Business Class. Our main reason for the luggage allowance vs price and the service and comfort was amazing for a short 1h flight.
First of all great video as always Noel. Rex is my personal fav as an Aussie frequent flyer. 12:29 And yes we do call Brisbane Brizzy but Sydney is just Sydney lol
Sydney occasionally gets "Sidders", but is also known as "Steak and Kidney" - that's a really old one. Melbourne gets Melbs a bit or occasionally Mexico (ie south of the border). Brizzy is regularly called Brisvegas.
To Noel and family just wishing you all a merry Christmas and a happy New Year and also to all of the viewers. Merry Christmas from Richard in Southampton
That storm was very scary looking. Great aerial pictures of Brisbane. Australia is definitely on my list of countries to travel and see.
Don't worry JoAnn - that's pretty normal for much of Australia in the summer, particularly in Queensland and NSW. Darwin's like that every day but much bigger during the Big Wet.
@@AndyGraceMedia I appreciate you taking your time to explain that to me. Thank you.
Awesome your in Sydney :-) Australia is also getting a new Budget Airline called Bonza this year.
Dude, way to represent the ‘Stros! And welcome to Houston! My wife and I, both fans, were so pleasantly surprised by your decision.
Looking forward to flying them in February. :)
I love that you called it a cob. X
Hey Karen! Nice to meet you, when was the last time you flew with Australia airline ? 😅
Thanks for heads up on Rex, proper meat and drink as well
I really really enjoyed flying Rex as well! So much cheaper, free coffee/tea, they had free checked in luggage. Easy check in process.
A very good Saturday morning to you all from Wellington Somerset in the uk
Hi Noel, I noticed that you don't tell us how much the flight was. Is that intentional? I think its a really important part of the video as it gives some kind of comparison value to other airlines.
Honestly flight like this it wouldn't be much at all, maybe couple hundred dollars
G'day Noel. Melbourne is Mexico, Sydney is Sin City, Brisbane is Bris Vegas. Merry Christmas
You forgot the Wild West aka WA
@@gregj7916 apologies mate
Flew with them from Sydney to Melbourne. As the service of Qantas is gone downhill since covid, it's good to have another competitor next to them and Virgin Australia.
Rex bought a bunch of 737 from VA during covid when they we're struggling. Rex took the opportunity to buy cheap 737's and can now compete with full service airlines by offering the exact same product for usually more than half the price. Big win for Aus.
Ahh nice to see they gave you the scenic run into sydney haha. I hate it when they swing around from the south so you miss out on the view of the harbour.
Next time you come to Australia, please try a little regional airline called FlyPelican! Brilliant kind staff based at Newcastle airport, and if you do, you’ll probably see me! 😊
I liked REX, I flew on a SAAB between Melbourne & Devonport . The first time I flew with Virgin Blue back in 2001, the stewardess started to sing as we landed into Sydney. The arrivals was a glorified tin shed which I think is now a cargo area, but they were cheap.
That was North Stradbroke Island you flew over, known to us locals as Straddie. I can actually see it from my backyard, if I stand on the shed roof. Departures out of that runway heading south usually fly right over my place, but I'm not surprised you went out over the water, looking at that storm. That must have been a couple of weeks ago at least.
I believe it is the southern end of Moreton Island you’re referring to
@@ozstrayapanoramas8610 It’s Moreton in the video, but Straddie he flew over. I didn’t really word my comments very well. 😀
Glad you enjoyed REX. We're looking forward to the day when their jet services reach Perth.
QANTAS has gone to the dogs. REX is a wonderful Australian airline. I fly them to Wagga all the time.
The wing tips make it look like BA!!
I'm looking to fly to Auckland from London in October, staying about 1 week, any advice on getting a cheap ticket except using normal cheap ticket websites??
Merry Christmas Noel💗💖
That was Moreton Island. You were flying over the Moreton Bay on take-off. Welcome to paradise mate.
I flew Business Class on a Virgin 737 in June 2022 and that cabin is identical. I was hoping to get one of the redone cabins but they're rare on Virgin. @Noel Philips if you return, check out a new carrier called Bonza. They're the first carrier in Australia to be flying the 737 Max.
I flew Rex a few months ago to avoid the debacle going on with Qantas & Jetstar. I was in economy. I was really impressed. I made the mental note to book their flights in future if they’re going my way.
Love the way your wife tells you she’ll kick you in the 🥜. A proper chuckle..
I love it! Noel is wearing an Astros shirt. Go Stros....
I have to say Rex's customer service is amazing. I was booked on flight from YMMY - YSSY in mid Nov. Unfortunately my mum passed in early Nov, so I had to cancel my flight. I called Rex customer service, and the operator gave me a hassle free fare refund, I did have the option to rebook for free, but I have no idea when I'll next. No fuss no hassle.
@Gavin N IACO codes for Melbourne Tullamarine airport and Sydney Kingsford Smith airport.
@@arokh72 except the code for Melbourne is YMML
@@tims2986 you are, of course, correct. No idea how I stuffed that one up.
The island you were unsure about at the 5:44 mark is named "Moreton Island" and the body of water between the mainland and Moreton Island is named Moreton Bay
Great vlog as always! I was distracted, a lot by the woman that sat to your left at lunch at BNE…. Mamma Mia! Awsome angry skies when you departed. Have you heard of branch routes and trunk routes? No Rex are giving the elephants, no fun intended a run for their money. Good luck to them. The meal was fit for a king, a lord is almost the same… lol! Keep up the good work. Enjoy the Polar arctic storm in the US… Be safe!
I flew into Brisbane airport yesterday from Launceston lol 😆 feeling a bit of excitement seeing a domestic Australian terminal!
Hey Linda , nice to meet with you, when was the last time you flew with Australia Airline ?
Great to see another video this week.
Hope you enjoyed it!
@@noelphilips Absolutely. and Merry Christmas. The added videos are a great present this week from you!
Flown a few time with Rex business class was great no nonsense on time and great service
Rex is not bad. Bonza is a new airline which I haven't risked flying yet. Sydney doesn't have a generally used nickname. Of course there is Sin City and "The Big Smoke", but the latter applies to any State Capital. Somebody going to Sydney from say Port Macquarie might say "I'm going to the big smoke" but usually just Sydney.
Qantas, Ansett and TAA back in the day ALL gave hot meals on flights, even between Canberra and Sydney. They also had enough legroom in every seat. Sadly Ansett and TAA went kaput and Qantas have succumbed to penny-pinching so much that I just don't fly them anymore.
Hope your family is warm back in Houston with the cold front here on 12/23. Looks like 22 in Houston proper.
Great to see some good competition in particular to Qantas/Jetstar who’s customer service standards are so extremely poor at the moment.
What happened to telling us the cost Noel? I always found that kind interesting.
Loving all this Australian content Noel! It is really just showing off how big our continent is and how varied our aviation scene is and the range of planes and flights you take! Hope REX go coast to coast in the new year linking Perth with the east coast as it would really ignite some competition in the market! Pity if Virgin really had to give up there A330 wide bodies that REX didn’t pick them up too!
The A332's were leased, so went back to Lessors so there was no way to pick them up. I am sad that the A332's went because they were really nice interiors, flew them a few times SYD>PER.
Update on Bonza. They have entered voluntary administration this week.
I like your videos, you give honest opinions and it’s not all about first class travel. Though I do wish you’d control those fingers when you’re talking.
Also a brand new airline here in Australia called Bonza!
Great airline.
Rex also let Hamish and Andy do an emergency slide party, so they are winners in my book