Virgin boosts Tassie and Queensland with new flights

Fresh from launching multiple new flights from Tasmania to Perth and Adelaide, Virgin Australia will now start a further four new routes just before Christmas 2021 break.

From early-mid December 2021, Virgin will commence a permanent new flight between Cairns and Gold Coast, eliminating the need for travellers to drive between Gold Coast and Brisbane. The airline will also operate seasonal services from Gold Coast to both Hobart and Launceston.

Meanwhile, the Sunshine Coast gets some love with direct flights to Adelaide also re-commencing before the end of the year. All of these new routes are perfect for travellers jetting between these states, as you won’t have to transit via Sydney and Melbourne. Right now, this would have made the journey impractical with border restrictions.

Flying between ‘safe states’ for the holidays

Western Australia, Queensland, Tasmania, South Australia and the Northern Territory all have little to no travel and distancing restrictions at present. It’s no surprise that Virgin’s newest flights take advantage of this scenario. The newest routes, announced on 12 October 2021, are:

• Cairns-Gold Coast, with daily flights starting 9 December 2021.
• Launceston-Gold Coast, with thrice-weekly flights from 7 December 2021 to 25 April 2022.
• Hobart-Gold Coast, with four-weekly flights from 13 December 2021 to 30 January 2022.
• Adelaide-Sunshine Coast, with four-weekly flights from 14 December 2021.

Previously-announced new routes also include:

• A brand-new direct flight between Adelaide and Hobart, commencing 22 October 2021.
• Resumption of seasonal flights between Perth and Hobart, commencing 29 October 2021.
• The launch of a brand-new direct flight between Perth and Launceston, commencing 5 November 2021.
• Resumption of flights between Adelaide and Darwin, commencing 6 September 2021.
• A brand-new direct flight between Adelaide and Launceston, commencing 7 September 2021.

Booking Virgin’s new flights with Velocity Points

Fancy an upgrade? You can easily use your Velocity Points for Business Reward seats or upgrades. The cost varies based on the length of the route. Taxes are extra and usually range from $20-$50 per person, each way.

Velocity Points/Distance	1-600 miles	601-1,200 miles	1,201-2,400 miles
Economy Reward	7,800 pts	11,800 pts	17,800 pts
Business Reward	15,500 pts	23,500 pts	35,500 pts
Upgrade from Economy Choice	10,000 pts	17,500 pts	30,000 pts
Upgrade from Economy Flex	4,900 pts	7,400 pts	9,900 pts

Remember, if you currently hold standard travel credits or future flight credits with Virgin Australia, you’re able to take advantage of these sale fares using your credits.

I don’t know about others but for me, there’s no better way to clear the lockdown cobwebs than heading off to experience a new place or reconnect with old friends.

More flying also means we’ll have more of our team members in the air and more business for the many hundreds of tourism operators and hospitality venues who rely on the economic injection tourists provide their communities.

– Virgin Australia Group Chief Commercial Officer, Dave Emerson

Summing up

It’s great to see airlines getting creative and tackling routes that sometimes have never seen direct flights before, such as Virgin’s Launceston to Perth or Sunshine Coast to Adelaide route. COVID-19 is changing the way we travel, and direct flights are more important than ever.

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Fly on Virgin Australia’s newest routes with a fresh batch of Velocity Points!

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