The Rexperience
Travel on any Rex Airlines' flight around Australia and you can expect country hospitality, down-to-earth cabin crew and locally grown, sustainable food and beverage options for snacks, meals and drinks.
Corporate Traveller’s head of corporate supply David Fraser recently took a business trip down to Rex Airlines' HQ in Sydney.
Here’s his take on the ‘Rex experience’.
Where were you flying to and from?
I flew Brisbane to Sydney return on a Rex Boeing 737. I was fortunate enough to experience the Rex Business Class product, which has seats for eight passengers at the front of the plane. I was only heading down for the day so didn’t have any check-in luggage. Good to note though, that if I had been travelling with luggage, Rex includes one piece of checked luggage with every ticket, regardless of ticket type.
How was the airport experience?
I was on a 6.10am flight down to Sydney, which is pretty brutal for anyone getting up that early. I was pleasantly surprised that even though the airport was busy, I passed through security quickly, up the escalators and my gate was right in front of where the escalators are located.
When I travelled there wasn’t a separate isle for business class passengers, but there was priority boarding with business passengers called to board first. I have since heard, that a separate priority lane has been added. All passengers were given a mask to wear onboard also.
The plane left right on time, which is what Rex is known for in terms of having some of the best on time performance stats in the Australian aviation industry.
I think once Rex has finished building its airport lounge in Brisbane this will be a greater drawcard, especially for business passengers. I’m told the new Rex lounge in Brisbane will be located next to the current Virgin lounge.
What was the onboard service and experience like?
The service was excellent. Friendly, professional, attentive – everything you’d expect in Business Class. But you could also see the same level of personal service happening in economy class with friendly banter between the passengers and cabin crew.
There is definitely that element of country hospitality that shines through in how the cabin crew interact with passengers; when they greet guests walking on board and throughout the flight - it seems authentic and down-to-earth.
I was given complimentary in-flight wi-fi for the trip and a drink before departure.
Did you try the onboard meal and beverages?
This was a highlight for me and my colleague who was flying with me at the time. I haven’t eaten airplane food for a long time and was pleasantly surprised to have a freshly made and healthy meal served to me on a cardboard tray and in packaging that was 100% recyclable. I chose the cold option which included a quinoa and polenta salad topped with a poached egg and avocado salsa. There was also a yoghurt and chia seed mix topped with pistachio nuts and a muffin that had been heated up.
My colleague had the bubble and squeak hot meal that included a sausage, salsa mix topped with a fried egg. She also received the yoghurt and warm muffin.
The food tasted fresh and delicious. We both were surprised by the addition of the fried and poached egg on both options – eggs are usually a no-go for many passengers.
I think the airline’s tagline that their ‘heart is in the country’ was most evident when my colleague said the tea she had asked for had been well made and the response from the flight attendant was ‘that she made it like her Grandma makes her tea’. The coffee was also freshly brewed with froth.
On the way home I had a locally produced wine and cheese platter which was such a treat (and also meant I didn’t eat dinner when I got home!)
Were there any points of difference between Rex and other domestic airlines?
The service was excellent, the food and drinks on both flights was outstanding and I had an easy and stress-free experience at the airport which was great. I think once you combine the exclusive SME fares that Corporate Traveller is offering as part of their partnership with the airline and the products and services the carrier offers that cater for the business travel and SME market in terms of lounges, network reach, destinations and record of on-time performance – Rex will be a strong contender for businesses looking to try something different and get value out of their air program at the same time.
Did you visit the Rex lounge in Sydney?
I spent some time in Rex’s current lounge in Sydney, which will be replaced by the carrier’s new lounge. It was a relaxing space with plenty of seating, great service and had a good selection of snacks and beverages. I liked how the airline had detailed its historic journey on the outside windows of the lounge.
I took a tour of Rex’s new flagship lounge that’s under construction in Sydney Airport. Having been shown the blueprint for the new lounge, it’s going to be amazing. Spacious with awesome views out over the airport’s southern runway, I think business travellers will love Rex’s new airport location.
What do you think another domestic carrier means for Australian SMEs?
I think the big winners from Rex’s domestic network expansion and growing fleet of 737s to service the Golden Triangle routes of Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne – are businesses and their travellers. The fact that Rex is positioning itself to be the third national carrier and adding capacity to its network to connect capital cities to its regional network and adding capacity on Australia’s top 10 domestic routes, including the Golden Triangle, means SMEs will have more choice for their business travel programs. And we all know that more choice means more competition and potentially more value and a new offering for travellers.
The airline now connects Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Adelaide and the Gold Coast with a fleet of seven Boeing 737 jets – this is on top of its well-established regional network serviced by Saab 340 turboprops.
Once Rex launches its new traveller loyalty program there will be a fresh, new offering in the market for business travellers to choose from which might influence the makeup of some air travel programs. Watch this space!