Jetstar Prepares for Summer Season with 800 Extra Flights to Queensland

28th Sep 2015

Jetstar will add a total of 800 extra flights to Queensland as a part of the carrier's new summer schedule, it was announced today.

This means 300,000 more seats both for flights coming into Queensland and coming out of the city than Jetstar could offer for the same travel period in 2014. That's around 10 per cent more than the carrier offers normally into the Sunshine Coast.

The added flights are supposed to be the key to the local tourism industry. They come just in time for the surge in Australian tourism experts predict for the holiday season, especially since the weakening Australian dollar will make international travel less of a possibility for travelers.

Of course, Jetstar's example is likely to be followed by other Australian carriers, including Qantas. Most airlines take the opportunity to expand their services to the region during summer months.

Chief executive officer of Queensland Tourism Industry Council David Gschwing said:

"We know the signs are looking very good and this will be absolutely welcomed by the industry."

He also said there are several factors that can give tourism operators a reason to be optimistic, including the weather being more favorable than in the last couple of years and the Australia dollar weakening.

The state's Tourism Minister Kate Jones said Jestar's decision to add more flights to Queensland shows its tourism is growing.

She said:

"This is a real vote of confidence for our industry."

Nigel Fanning, Head of Commercial for Jetstar Australia and New Zealand called upon Queensland tourism and hotel operators to ready themselves for a very busy summer season, saying:

"We're seeing increasing bookings to popular Queensland holiday spots."

On average, Australian tourists spend about AUS$820 for a trip to Queensland.