commences in August.
From today's E-Travel Blackboard:
Strategic Airlines to launch BNE-DPS services via Port Hedland
Tuesday, 6 July 2010
Strategic Airlines will launch services from Brisbane to Port Hedland in Western Australia and onward to Bali, effective from 3 August 2010.
Strategic will operate the new services, subject to regulatory approval, using an Airbus A320 aircraft featuring 12 business class seats and 144 economy seats.
The Australian-owned carrier is expected to introduce a second weekly service on Saturdays in September 2010.
The new service will coincide with Strategic's introduction of A320 direct flights from Brisbane to Port Hedland, giving Brisbane leisure travelers their first opportunity to fly business class to Bali.
Startegic Airlines' head of commercial, Damien Vasta said, 'Until now, residents and workers in Port Hedland have to travel to Perth before they can fly anywhere eels, which has incurred substantial costs for them in airfares, accommodation and time.'
'There has been overwhelming demand from people in Port Hedland - particularly from its ‘Fly In Fly Out' (FIFO) mining community - for leisure travel to Bali.
'Strategic is meeting this need with a full service that will have them in Denpasar within just two hours. This not only cuts their air travel costs dramatically, but reduces their travelling time by hours and saves at least one night of accommodation.
'In establishing the Port Hedland-Bali service, Strategic is providing people in this vital regional community with a leisure travel option that is both easy and cost effective.
'At the same time, the Brisbane-Port Hedland route will open up travel between the west and east coasts of Australia with well-priced services and business class seating options.
Port Hedland miners who live in south east Queensland or want to holiday there will soon have a comfortable non-stop travel service available to them.
'What this also means is that Brisbane leisure travelers will be able to fly to Bali in either economy or business class, on a through connection from Port Hedland. '
Strategic Airlines hopes to expand the Brisbane-Port Hedland-Denpasar service to twice weekly later this year, with the introduction of weekend flights.
The Port Hedland-Denpasar service will depart Port Hedland every Tuesday at 2:15pm and arrive in Denpasar at 4:15pm.
The return flight will depart Denpasar at 8:00am each Wednesday, and arrive at Port Hedland at 10:05am.
Business class passengers flying to Bali with Strategic will have a turnaround time of just 90 minutes in Port Hedland, with flights departing Brisbane every Tuesday at 9:00am and arriving in Port Hedland at 12:45pm.