‘Sick and tired’: Qantas cuts to impact regional Australians

Hinzugefügt: 2026-05-24

[00:00:00]Federal MP Tony Pasin says he's had a gutful from corporate Australia abandoning regional towns. Qantas is preparing to end services between Adelaide and Mount Gambier this week, one of many routes set to be disrupted as a result of the ongoing fuel issue from the conflict in the Middle East.

[00:00:19]Conflict in the Middle East is having a knock-on effect with the way we travel, from fuel costs to air fares. Qantas will be grounding thousands of flights between major cities as fuel prices and dwindling passenger numbers take their toll. But it's the regions that will pay the price. I'm getting a little sick and tired of corporate Australia turning its back on regional Australians. Qantas Group, which includes Jetstar, will suspend four domestic routes from May 18, but flights between Adelaide and Mount Gambier will be ending permanently. My family and I are very worried that it will push up the price of the fares to Adelaide. Healthcare, for business meetings, that sort of thing. Can't do things by Zoom. You've got to actually get in, so that's going to So yeah, industry, businesses, all that sort of thing, people just trying to connect, it's just yeah, it's going to be very difficult.

[00:01:12]>> There's limited buses down to Mount Gambier also, so there was no other option but to pay for Rex. The cancellation is expected to disrupt the average traveler, but it's doctors and other service providers who bear the brunt of the strain.

[00:01:27]>> And we're now one step closer to no passenger air services into Mount Gambier, then I think we'd seen immediate drop-off in particularly those medical specialist services where people fly in and out for a one-day exercise. And those traveling to Adelaide for healthcare. You just realize how important it is for the elderly to have that access if they need to get to Adelaide. And if you're traveling for medical appointments, you don't need to be paying more to have to get to them. The national carrier says it's been running services between Mount Gambier and Adelaide, but they're usually only 20% full. The only airline left servicing the route will now be Rex. Though local federal MP Tony Pasin doesn't have full confidence in its future, either. Rex themselves were in administration that that long ago, and I uh I really do fear for a circumstance in which we won't have any services in the communities like Mount Gambier, particularly as the Saab 340 aircraft fleet ages, which is the aircraft fleet that Rex rely on. Uh in the absence of competition, prices uh offered by Rex will go up, and they're already very uh expensive. Competition and pricing practices are the focus of a productivity commission review into regional air travel. A final report is expected to be delivered in early 2027.

[00:02:53]Minik Vandenberg Haydn, Sky News.