Interest in private air charters spikes in the wake of Qantas Geraldton flight cancellations

Some locals are now turning to private air charters to get between Perth and the Mid West in the wake of Qantas scrapping more than a dozen Geraldton flights in the coming weeks. The airline last week announced 15 flights were being pre-emptively cancelled in a bid to mitigate airport delays caused by COVID-related staff absences. It coincides with the July school holidays and the introduction of the state’s program to cap return flights starting in regional WA. Qantas is the only major airline that services Geraldton and some flyers have started looking into air charters to ensure they do not miss out on important medical appointments and long-planned holidays. Based at Jandakot airport, boutique charter company Fly Legendaire has received an influx of inquiries from Geraldton residents whose flights have been cancelled over the next four weeks. Fly Legendaire would in the past do the odd charter to and from Geraldton, but business owner Moray Farid said more than 50 locals had called in for a quote in the last week. And while private planes have traditionally been the mode of transport of choice for the rich and famous, Mr Farid said a charter could now cost about the same as a ticket from a major airline. “Because we are a charter company we have to sell the plane as a whole, but if friends come together the price becomes very competitive and nearly the same price as Qantas,” he said. “So we can do Perth to Geraldton for five people for about $520 (per passenger). We are not as expensive as they think.” Fly Legendaire presently has two aircraft, the Cessna 210 and Piper Navajo, which can carry up to five and seven passengers respectively. While it does take longer to fly between Geraldton to Perth on a private charter, Mr Farid said passengers make up time by not having to go through extensive security checks and wait for dozens of other passengers to board. “There is a very quick safety brief and off you go, you don’t have to wait for half an hour or 45 minutes,” he said. Like the major airlines, Fly Legendaire has also been affected by COVID-related staff absences. But Mr Farid said it was not difficult to fill any temporary vacancies. “(COVID) affects everyone but we have back-ups and because we are a small organisation, we can get casuals a bit easier than Qantas,” he said. Qantas’ staffing difficulties will be reviewed in mid-July.