4 reviews
Regional Express (branded as REX) is a regional airline formed in 2002 through the merger of two regional airlines: Hazelton Airlines and Kendall Airlines by former Ansett Australia Employees following that airlines 2001 bankruptcy and dissolution.
The airline has for most of its existence focused on linking regional towns across Australia to major cities, for most of the airlines two decade existence it has used the Saab 340 as the backbone of its fleet. A small fleet of Fairchild Metros were used during the early days of the airline as these had come from Kendall Airlines, but these were retired by 2006.
This model of business worked well for REX, the airline's main head quarters are located in Mascot, NSW- a short distance from the Domestic Terminal at Sydney Kingford-Smith. It is the largest operator of the Saab 340, operating 57 examples of this aircraft as of late 2023.
But that was about to change in 2020 when the airline made a very drastic decision!
The Australian airline industry was well and truly shaken up by the pandemic, but REX- Regional Express saw a massive opportunity to disrupt the market of flying between the major cities in Australia and go head-to-head alongside the downsized Virgin Australia and long established Qantas and Jetstar… They introduced the Boeing 737-800, taking on a number of hastily retired Virgin Australia aircraft.
So far the REX tactic is starting to pay off. There were some teething problems at first bringing in the new Boeing 737s, but REX has settled them in and began solely using them on flights between major cities within the Eastern side Australia. Flights in Australia can be quite pricey compare to European standards, but its looking like REX, Virgin Australia and Jetstar are going to be disrupting the higher airfares on the big city routes. I hope this all works out for the best!
So what's it like flying on a REX Boeing 737-800 in 2023? Well I fitted in a Boeing 737 flight to find out. I did dig about to try get a Saab 340 flight on REX on my trip, but that unfortunately didn't work out… this time…
One of the most amazing features of Adelaide Airport is its home to one of the most iconic aircraft in the world.
On the 1 Year Anniversary of the Armistice that ended World War One (known then as <b style="">The Great War), a four man crew of Australian's (three of whom came from Adelaide) took off from Hounslow Heath in the UK (not far from the site of modern London Heathrow Airport) and spent 27 days flying from the United Kingdom to Australia in a WW1 era Vickers Vimy aircraft. They ended up being the first to complete a flight from the UK to Australia and won the £A10,000 prize money.
Their famous Vickers Vimy (G-EAOU) is now on display at Adelaide Airport for everyone to come and see the first plane to make the historic flight. Sadly the last of the four man crew passed away in 1968. Leaving the Vimy aircraft to stand as the final representative of those gruelling 27 days between London and Adelaide.
The crew of this historical flight consisted of pilot brothers Ross Smith, Keith Smith as well as engineers Wally Shiers and Jim Bennett, all four men had been veterans of the First World War serving in the Royal Flying Corps.
The museum holds various artefacts from the collection of the crew as well as story boards showcasing the history and tales of all the crews and aircraft who took part in the 1919 UK-Australia flight race, two of the crews sadly losing their lives during their crossings.
There is even a digital screen comparing the Vickers Vimy to a modern Boeing 787 Dreamliner which currently links London to Perth nonstop in less than 17 hours, a flight that I took on this very trip.
Visiting this small museum is a huge must whilst at Adelaide Airport. It is very easy to access and is marked by signs in the Arrivals area of the Airport. I am glad I got to see this. It is also one of only two authentic WW1 era Vickers Vimy aircraft in existence.
After paying a visit to the Adelaide Airport Vickers Vimy Museum, I went to check in for the afternoon REX flight ZL466 to Melbourne from Adelaide. It was very quiet and I had no issues getting checked in and acquiring a paper boarding pass.
I found Adelaide Airport quite bright and spacious. Getting to the departure area there was a bit of a wait for going airside, but I had plenty of time as I had heard about REX having an Airport lounge, so I opted to try my luck on entering the lounge for a payment, if that hadn't worked- I was going to enjoy an airside spotting session of aircraft.
I made my way following the lounge signs for the "REX Lounge" and found it in the furthest corner of the domestic terminal near the main gates for the REX flights, most the flights are Saab 340 operated and require open boarding, the only exception being the occasional Boeing 737 flights which are few and far between.
I went to the desk and spoke to a lovely lady called Megan who gave me the run down on the lounge and charged me the $30/AUD (£17) entry fee which I quite happy to pay given the prices of airport restaurants and bars. It is a small lounge, so don't expect a massive selection of amenities.
If you are flying REX business class on the Boeing 737s you can enter this lounge for free as well. The Priority Pass program also allows you access into this lounge as well, something to make a note of.
There were other passengers in the lounge at various times, but I did find myself all on my own for about 45 minutes, which I wasn't going to complain about!
I did find it a bit of a tease that REX was showcasing their merchandise, but you couldn't buy anything in the lounge… Oh how I wanted to take that REX Boeing 737 model with me… I couldn't even buy one on the flight… First World problems I know, but it was also very cool to see all the items REX sell on their website, but as a UK resident, I didn't fancy taking my chances on the international P&P costs…
Cold items and ambient snacks only in this lounge but there's a mixture of juices, can soda, beers, wines and hot drinks from a coffee machine. None of the sandwiches took my fancy, but as I don't like mayonnaise and most prepared sandwiches contain it- its a big NO from me. I did enjoy a pack of crisps with a beer, then had a few cups of tea as well as a can of sprite.
Few other comments about this small lounge space, it doesn't have any toilets inside, so you need to leave the lounge and go next door. Not a big deal for me, but something worth noting if you stop here. Free REX magazines are on offer to read as well as a television and some computers for doing work or even preparing documents for a future flight.
I can't rate this lounge bellow as its not listed for Adelaide Airport, but I am happy to give it a solid 6/10. Its a nice quiet space, has plenty of snacks and drinks, comfortable seats. Great value entry at £17 ($30/AU). Some areas could be improved like having a toilet in the lounge, but its ideal for an hour or 90 minutes.
I left the lounge shortly before boarding was due to commence on the flight over to Melbourne. I didn't have far to go as it was Gate 12 and that is pretty much opposite of the Lounge entrance. The lounge had become quite busy with a handful of REX flights due to depart on the late afternoon and evening services.
My REX- Regional Express Boeing 737-800 had arrived into Adelaide Airport and was being prepared for that flight over to Melbourne Airport. The Boeing 737 was registered VH-RQG. This 737-800 was delivered in April 2005 to Virgin Blue as VH-VUF it continued to fly after the rebrand to Virgin Australia before being retired due to the pandemic and company restructuring in March 2020, after being stored at Brisbane Airport and Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport, it was leased to REX from November 5th 2020 and has been flying for them ever since. It adopted its current registration in January 2021.
Whilst a jet bridge was in use, anyone sat behind Row 15 had to board via the rear stairs… which was something I had no objection to, I managed to swipe a few photos of the plane during boarding. I made my way to Seat 17A, noticing the cabin was still very much the cabin of its former operator. I kind of hope REX eventually refreshes the Boeing 737 cabins to reflect their image and not the competition.
Getting out of Adelaide was pretty uneventful, it looks like we got out ahead of the evening rush. We departed about five minutes behind schedule, but we'd still make an on time arrival into Melbourne.
With a flight time of 70 minutes along the South of Australia and into the state of Victoria, our route would take us initially out over The Gulf of St Vincent, before turning back on ourselves passing South of Adelaide between Hallett Cove and Morphett Vale, heading in a direct South Westerly direction before coming into Melbourne.
The crew began the inflight service, as appears to be the standard on these up and coming "Middle of the Road" Airlines in Australia (basically not Jetstar or Qantas) REX offers complimentary a complementary snack with Tea, Coffee or Water being "On the House". A small menu sheet is provided with a price list on the other soft drinks and alcoholic drinks. The snack options came as a sweet or savoury and I opted for the sweet option to accompany my choice of hot tea & water, which was a Date & Ginger cake.
As has become the standard in the aviation industry for inflight purchases- cash is not accepted on REX flights, therefore card payments only!
The rest of the flight from Adelaide to Melbourne went very smoothly and the Boeing 737 was quite comfortable.
Shortly before our arrival into Melbourne Airport, we had to make a quick holding circuit over the town of Bendigo. My assumption as it was due to it being busy for the evening arrivals into Melbourne that evening as it was coming up to that time where major airports have their evening rush.
We arrived into Melbourne Tullamarine Airport a few minutes before our scheduled arrival time. We had a short taxi over to the REX gates in the Domestic Terminal 4 which REX is a main tenant of alongside Jetstar and Bonza.
We were next to the Terminal 2 facility which is the main international terminal with all the flights that operate to Asia, the Pacific Islands, North America and London.
I grabbed a few shots of the REX cabin before leaving the plane, as I mentioned earlier, I hope REX gets to refit their Boeing 737s with their own unique cabin identity rather than continue to use the old Virgin Australia cabin.
I was behind someone with mobility issues, so I stood on the air stairs to take the final shot of the Boeing 737 fuselage whilst I waited for them to clear the stairs, I didn't want to make them feel rushed.
Overall a decent introduction to REX- Regional Express Airlines. I hope they have all the best with their new City to City services on their Boeing 737 fleet. Their product seems competitive and I found them a good price for this particular flight. They were promoting their new Frequent Flyer program, which might help them solidify a customer base domestically, but it would be of no use to me.
REX was good value for money and provided a decent short haul flight experience that "Flag Carrier" European airlines could learn from. I hope they can expand within Australia with their Boeing 737 operations and cement themselves as a leading "third force" that Australian commercial aviation really needs.
2 Comments
I'm glad that it seems REX is doing well, as competition in the Australian market is very much needed considering how pricey it can be to fly domestically! However, from a service perspective, it seems that REX and Virgin basically offer the same product. There doesn't seem to be much difference, especially given the fact that REX operate ex-VA 737s with the same exact cabin.
Right...basically Virgin, now that they've decided to go back to LCC roots post-bankruptcy.
Again, it will be interesting to see how things evolve, as REX don't have the same global reach or frequent flyer advantages as VA, so I imagine they really have to be priced well under VA and QF in order to gain customers.
Thanks for sharing!
Login to post a comment.