A Tasmanian mayor has been threatened with a ban from Rex for suggesting the airline has been ‘ripping off’ his community.
King Island Mayor Marcus Blackie joined in on the heated debate because of concerns raised by locals over the cost of flights between the island and mainland Tasmania, saying: “When we are ripped off we take it personally.”
“Just another example of taking advantage of King Islanders,” a resident said about a late-April one-way fare from Currie to Burnie for $1,197.
“I can fly Melbourne to Perth on the same day for $289.”
The airline has come out swinging, saying they are in the business of making a profit after a $30 million operational loss and were deeply disturbed by the mayor’s remarks.
“The high fare quoted for King Island to Burnie is not a surprise since Rex does not fly directly from King Island to Burnie on the date cited, which is a weekend,” a spokesperson said.
“When the passenger goes on the web to get a price to fly between King Island and Burnie on a weekend, the system finds the best possible connection which is King Island – Melbourne – Burnie, paying the full fare for each of the sectors.”
“Rex understands there could be unsophisticated travellers who may have been shocked by the high fares especially if they did not pay attention to the routing of the travel.”
Rex said their average fare over the last 12 months between King Island and Burnie was a “very low” $185, excluding airport tax and GST.
The airline said Mayor Blackie has a frequent travel history with them and has paid on average a fare of $151 across 25 recent flights.
“We call on the council to censure the Mayor for his flippant remarks that could result in severe economic damage to the local economy,” the spokesperson said.
“Should official action not be forthcoming, we will no longer welcome Cr Blackie on our services, as we too take his baseless and self-serving remarks personally.”
The airline will now review their ties with King Island as a result, while Blackie remains hopeful QantasLink will move in to increase competition on the island.
