Virgin Australia Adjusts Brisbane Darwin Service

14th Dec 2013

Starting April next year, Virgin Australia will follow a new schedule for its domestic service between Brisbane and Darwin.

The new schedule is carefully timed to allow passengers with connecting flights enough time to relax while waiting for their next flights onwards to nine domestic destinations.

Currently, the once-daily flight, VA459, departs Brisbane at 0845 hrs, touching down at Darwin International Airport at 2335 hrs. With the new schedule taking effect on 15 April 2014, the flight will be leaving in mid-morning at 0930 hrs and will arrive in Darwin at 1320 hrs. The return leg will depart at 1405 hrs from Darwin and will touch down at 1815 hrs in Brisbane.

The new schedule will enable passengers on the Darwin-Brisbane leg to get a shorter layover at Brisbane Airport before their next flights to nine domestic destinations.

Likewise, the passengers aboard the Brisbane-Darwin leg will have a more convenient connecting flight onto Singapore via Silkair. Silkair is the regional carrier of Singapore Airlines, the partner airline of Virgin Australia.

The Brisbane-Darwin link is serviced by narrow-body Boeing B737 aircraft which offers wireless in-flight entertainment system allowing passengers on board to enjoy video and music beamed directly onto their portable device for free.

Judith Crompton, Virgin Australia's Chief Commercial Officer, declared that the new schedule was designed to make it more convenient for their customers who may have connecting flights to other domestic destinations across the country.

The airline executive further said that the enhanced service is their answer to the growing importance of Darwin as a commercial hub in the region. It currently operates direct flights between Darwin and four major domestic destinations including Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and, of course, Brisbane.

Tigerair Australia, meanwhile, has just launched its once-daily service between Darwin and Brisbane and another once-daily service between Darwin and Cairns. Virgin Australia has a controlling stake in Tigerair Australia.