From January 30, 2022, Virgin Australia will relaunch service between Sydney and Canberra with 53 weekly flights and up to nine daily flights on weekdays. The flights will be operated under an exclusive agreement with Link Airways, with Link Saab 340 B Plus aircraft and crew.
On Thursday (December 2, 2021), Virgin Australia announced the relaunch of service between Sydney and Canberra from January 30, 2022 under an exclusive agreement with Link Airways. The route will be operated 53 times per week, with up to nine daily flights on weekdays, and will be serviced with a Link Airways Saab 340 B Plus aircraft and Link crew. Tickets are now available for purchase at virginaustralia.com and fares include Velocity Frequent Flyer Points and up to double Status Credits as part of an ongoing loyalty promotion. The Sydney-Canberra route was originally suspended in April 2020 due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
In Thursday’s announcement, Virgin Australia Group’s CEO, Jayne Hrdlicka, said,
“Canberra is a very important destination for Virgin Australia and we’re excited to re-launch a Sydney-Canberra service. The service will provide more than 16,000 seats each month between the two cities, which is welcome news for our corporate and leisure customers and particularly those in the government sector who regularly travel to and from Sydney. Services will operate nine times per day on weekdays, providing even more choice and flexibility for Virgin Australia customers. We’ll also continue to offer some of the best value fares in the market which are now available to be booked via our website.
“Eligible customers travelling on the services will continue to have access to the Virgin Australia Canberra Lounge which is ready to welcome back loyal members to experience our award-winning service and fantastic new menu. Virgin Australia is always looking for new ways to connect Australians and today’s announcement is a really great example of how we are working strategically to benefit our customers. Our Sydney-Canberra services is the 15th new service we have added to our domestic network since September, and we are looking forward to launching many more next year.”
Also commenting on the route partnership, Link Airways’ Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Major, said,
“Link Airways are excited to work with Virgin Australia on the resumption of their services connecting Canberra and Sydney. The frequency of the services offered is a strong indication of the value Virgin Australia places in facilitating connections between Canberra and interstate destinations. As a Canberra headquartered airline, we particularly look forward to the commencement of the services in January.”
The agreement with Link Airways will extend Virgin Australia’s domestic network reach into markets like Sydney-Canberra which wouldn’t be sustainable using the carrier’s own Boeing 737-800s. Since September, Virgin Australia has launched 15 new routes, some of which the carrier has not served in their 21-year history. Virgin Australia customers traveling on the short flights with Link Airways will receive a complimentary tea, coffee and water. Tickets can be changed or canceled to travel credit with no fees for all domestic travel until April 30, 2022. Changes must be made prior to the date of travel and a fare difference may apply. Cancellations with refunds to other forms of payment are subject to the applicable fare rules.
Source: Virgin Australia