Qantas Steps Up Competition

Qantas is beefing up its operations to squeeze its competitors. The airline announced that it is resuming its Gold Coast service.

This is the first time that Qantas is flying to Gold Coast after five years. According to Alan Joyce, Qantas’ Boeing 737-800 aircraft will fly from Sydney to Gold Coast three times a day. Joyce is the chief executive of Qantas.

Joyce said the resumption of services to the Gold Coast was an answer to increasing demand from customers. He added that the Gold Coast is the country’s sixth-largest city and it is seeing massive development.

The Gold Coast is also a growing premium travel market. Joyce said that Qantas customers want to have premium service that would complement what Jetstar is currently offering.

Industry observers, however, note that Qantas is feeling the pressure because rival Virgin Australia increased its operations by seven percent in 2011. It was also last year when Virgin launched its business-class services and airport lounge at Coolangatta airport.

Tiger Airways also started flying between Gold Coast and Sydney. The service was launched just a month ago.