QF175 From Portugal, joined Mar 2007, 522 posts, RR: 3 Posted (9 months 3 weeks 6 days 13 hours ago) and read 7624 times:
I had long wanted to fly with two relatively unknown Australian Airlines (outside Australia at least) and an opportunity presented itself to fly with Strategic Airlines to Derby (Curtin) and Skywest to Esperance on the A320 and Fokker 50 respectively. Whilst this is not a fancy trip report and certainly lacks an abundance of aviation related images, it does provide a small insight into Strategic Airlines' and Skywest Airlines' shorthaul product and additionally shows one of Australia's hidden gems, Esperance and West Beach.
Strategic Airlines is a Brisbane-based full service Airline with a fleet consisting of one A330-200 and three A320-200s. The Airline has long focussed on charter and defence work and has not long conducted RPT flying. The carrier flies to Brisbane, Melbourne, Townsville, Denpasar/Bali, Port Hedland, Derby (Curtin), Perth, Phuket and Gladstone (services will shortly be terminated). Towards the end of 2011 the Airline will take delivery of a second A330-200 and launch services to Honolulu. Strategic Airlines offers complimentary meals, inflight entertainment, seat selection during the booking process and soon, online check-in. Media reports suggest that the Airline will rebrand later in 2011, launch a frequent flyer program and further expand services to new destinations, such as China.
Strategic Airlines use Terminal 3 (commonly referred to as the Multi-User Terminal) at Perth Airport and in this instance a remote gate was used, with passengers required to walk to the Aircraft and board via stairs.
Boarding commenced some time before departure and I was welcomed at the aircraft by the lovely crew, who looked immaculate in their uniform (see photo below example of the crew uniform).
Strategic Airlines services Derby (Curtin) 5x weekly, Monday through Friday. As I was on one of the services earlier in the week, the aircraft was rather full with locals, Government officials and mining employees.
VH-YQA featured the Airline's flagship shorthaul product, with leather seats in Business and Economy. The interior is certainly very striking, and like the Qantas A380 seating is best seen in person as a photo will never do it justice. The aircraft features 8J and 144Y seats.
Domestic Business Class on Strategic Airlines features a very generous seat pitch of 42-44" (comparatively speaking, Qantas has seat pitch of 38" in Business on their 737-800s).
I was provided with my choice of drinks shortly after take off and I opted for Coffee. While it wasn't anything as good as you would find in many Australian cafes and coffee shops, it was surprisingly rather good. The flower was a nice touch and not something I had seen before flying in Australia.
Strategic Airlines Breakfast service from Perth to Derby - by far the best Breakfast I have had on an Australian Domestic flight and by far the most generous serving. The temperature of the food was perfect and the Cabin Crew asked if I wanted anything further - if this wasn't fufilling enough!
The flight passed the Pilbara region of Western Australia and towards the end of the flight ran parallel with Broome and its wide, sweeping beaches. The view was certainly a feast for the eyes, with an ever changing and beautiful landscape - the real Australia!
I was the first of the aircraft and wished the crew farewell. The crew aboard this service certainly did a stellar job and were professional and warm, even though one of them seemed to be under training. Additonally, it was pleasing to witness the crew make regular visits to the cabin to check passengers and to offer bottles of water. It was certainly a very enjoyable first flight with this Airline.
February 2011
Strategic Airlines
VC502 Derby (Curtin) - Perth
A320-212 VH-YQA - "The Kimberley"
Seat 2A - Business
STD 0930L
STA 1220L
ATD 0946L
ATA 1208L
A few days later I made the return trip to Perth. Being the first to board I was fortunate to be in a position to take a few shots of VH-YQA whilst the rest of the passengers straggled their way to the aircraft.
The area surrounding Derby Airport is extremely lush and green, and as you would expect, being in Northern Australia, it was very humid.
Coffee served not long after take off - it is a shame the plastic spoon is so flimsy.
Not long after we reached our cruising altitude, a Hot lunch was served. Once again, Strategic Airlines excelled in this area, once again providing a very generous offering with a chicken main, salad, sweet tart and various condiments/sides (I opted to take the cheese platter to complete the photo).
An Airline that provides full size chocolate bars - 10/10!
We landed in Perth well before the scheduled time of arrival and interestingly, docked at an aerobridge.
Strategic Airlines has one of the best, if not the best narrowbody Business Class product in Australia (admittedly I have not yet flown in DJ's new Business Class to compare) with large, comfortable seats, a very generous seat pitch, attentitive, warm and friendly crew and hearty, generous catering (I'd love to see the special meals and other meals on some of their services). This Airline certainly has alot of potential in the Australian marketplace, even though it is currently confined to smaller monopoly or "niche" routes.
SKYWEST
Skywest Airlines (not to be confused with Skywest USA) is an Airline headquartered in Perth, Western Australia and has been flying since 1963 (under various names). The Airline has a fleet of 18 aircraft including F100s, F50s and a single A320-200 flying a mixture of charter and RPT services to destinations such as Broome, Cloudbreak, Denpasar/Bali, Melbourne, Kununurra and Exmouth.
Skywest released an attractive range of subload agent fares earlier in 2011 and a travel agent friend of mine was able to take advantage of these - due to time constraints, we decided to do a day trip to Esperance, as place I had long wanted to travel to (one of the places you hear so much about and where you need to visit in person).
Skywest, like Strategic have warm and accommodating crew, who go the extra mile to make flying memorable and comfortable. Skywest crew uniform below:
February 2011
Skywest Airlines (Australia)
XR145 Perth - Esperance
F50 VH-FNI
Seat 5F - Economy
STD 1000L
STA 1140L
ATD 1014L
ATA 1142L
Unfortunately I didn't take any photos onboard either of the flights.
The crew aboard both flights were fantastic and like QantasLink crews, had very "personal" service, chatting to passengers and showed in an interest in why my friend and I were travelling etc. Skywest on this service (and no doubt on many of its other services) offers a facility where the crew radio ahead and arrange Taxis for passengers (other than a hire car, there's not many means of transport to/from the Airport and the Esperance CBD). A light meal was served on both sectors and whilst it was not in the same league as the catering offered by Strategic (ok, ok, that was J class), I wasn't expecting much for such a short flight. Skywest is a fantastic Airline and I look forward to when I next have the opportunity to fly with them.
February 2011
Skywest Airlines (Australia)
XR148 Esperance - Perth
F50 VH-FSL
Seat 5F - Economy
STD 1650L
STA 1830L
ATD 1647L
ATA 1820L
The famous West Beach, with its sweeping beaches and gorgeous clear water.
West Beach is a short walk from the Esperance CBD.
Now if only all beaches in Australia were as clean as this!
Sweeping views..
And again..
Danger!
Without exception, it always pays to swim between the flags. Unfortunately, in Australia, far too many people perish in the hands of the violent ocean as a direct result of not heeding advice on beach conditions and swimming between the flags. No matter how much you advertise, I guess there will sadly still be fatalities.
Million dollar views..
I trust that you enjoyed reading this report, if you have any questions, please let me know and I will be too happy to help. Apologies for the lack of inflight photos on the Skywest service, I should have made more of an effort to capture the inflight experience, given there are no regular trip reports on this carrier.
debonair From Germany, joined Jan 2004, 1739 posts, RR: 4 Reply 1, posted (9 months 3 weeks 6 days 11 hours ago) and read 7524 times:
Quoting QF175 (Thread starter): Whilst this is not a fancy trip report and certainly lacks an abundance of aviation related images, it does provide a small insight into Strategic Airlines' and Skywest Airlines' shorthaul product
Fantstisch! I just love to read TR's from more exotic, unknown airlines...
Quoting QF175 (Thread starter): VH-YQA featured the Airline's flagship shorthaul product, with leather seats in Business and Economy.
WOW! WOW! Unbelievable this bird was build back in 1991 and was used hard
Quoting QF175 (Thread starter): Strategic Airlines offers complimentary meals, inflight entertainment, seat selection during the booking process and soon, online check-in.
Nice, so what was the inflight entertainment on your flight? Portable DVD-Player, PTV or just IFE with overhead screens?
Quoting QF175 (Thread starter): It was certainly a very enjoyable first flight with this Airline.
Strategic Australia seems to be an outstanding airline- sad to see, that the European counterpart in Luxembourg is totally the opposite: with a grounded fleet in France in the past, rude and poor customer service (according to some TR here).
PlaneHunter From Germany, joined Mar 2006, 5429 posts, RR: 81 Reply 2, posted (9 months 3 weeks 6 days 11 hours ago) and read 7488 times:
Very nice report with many good pictures! Strategic's Business Class product looks fine, the food looks very tasty. Also good to see a report about Skywest!
abrelosojos From Venezuela, joined May 2005, 4551 posts, RR: 56 Reply 5, posted (9 months 3 weeks 6 days 10 hours ago) and read 7339 times:
Quoting QF175 (Thread starter): Strategic Airlines is a Brisbane-based full service Airline with a fleet consisting of one A330-200 and three A320-200s. The Airline has long focussed on charter and defence work and has not long conducted RPT flying. The carrier flies to Brisbane, Melbourne, Townsville, Denpasar/Bali, Port Hedland, Derby (Curtin), Perth, Phuket and Gladstone (services will shortly be terminated).
= I had never heard of this airline, and now yours is the second one I read on A.Net within a month!
Thanks again for the report, and for giving me ideas of what to do when I am in Perth in a few months.
Palmjet From United Kingdom, joined Nov 2001, 803 posts, RR: 17 Reply 6, posted (9 months 3 weeks 6 days 8 hours ago) and read 7211 times:
Thanks very much for this great report - really nice to read about some more regional flights taken within Australia.
Big things are planned by Strategic's management, although it's anyone's guess whether they will suceed. By co-incidence, there is a report on Strategic in the latest edition of Airways magazine.
Quote: When I was in Australia someone got killed by a tiny jelly fish in Perth. I was just too terrified to get into the ocean + sharks etc.
Wow, you really missed out. The beaches in Perth are stunning. I lived in Australia for 25 years, went to the beach nearly every year for our family holidays and was never stung or bitten by anything. The chances of something happening to you in the ocean in Australia if you swim between the flags at a patrolled beach is remote at best, and certainly no more risky than swimming off the California coast.
Ozark Airlines - When Three Swallows Would Get You There
767747 From United States of America, joined Jan 2005, 1521 posts, RR: 28 Reply 7, posted (9 months 3 weeks 5 days 18 hours ago) and read 6665 times:
Great report!
Strategic Airlines is one good looking airline! I read about them in my recent issue of Airways and I was wondering how they were. Definitely looks like they provide a high level of service!
Sultanils From Belgium, joined Mar 2010, 747 posts, RR: 27 Reply 9, posted (9 months 3 weeks 5 days 10 hours ago) and read 6414 times:
Hello QF175!
Thanks for mosting this interesting report on 2 not-so-known Australian carriers. I didn't even know they existed! It appears you had some good flights with them
Quoting QF175 (Thread starter): VH-YQA featured the Airline's flagship shorthaul product, with leather seats in Business and Economy
Looks very nice!
Quoting QF175 (Thread starter): The flower was a nice touch and not something I had seen before flying in Australia.
More something to expect on a SEA carrier?
Quoting QF175 (Thread starter): Strategic Airlines Breakfast service from Perth to Derby - by far the best Breakfast I have had on an Australian Domestic flight and by far the most generous serving.
Wow those meals look really generous & tasty.
Quoting QF175 (Thread starter): and showed in an interest in why my friend and I were travelling etc.
That's a nice attitude from the F/A's.
Quoting QF175 (Thread starter): The famous West Beach, with its sweeping beaches and gorgeous clear water.
Nice beach, are you allowed to swim there since apparently there are no life guards?
RJtraveller From Indonesia, joined Feb 2011, 45 posts, RR: 0 Reply 10, posted (9 months 3 weeks 5 days 9 hours ago) and read 6365 times:
Hi !
Nice trip report , enjoy reading it.
I have flown several time on Strategic A330 bussines but never on their A320 , looking forward to try it since the picture shows generous pitch and leg room and the meal service seems nice too.
ba724 From Australia, joined Nov 2010, 44 posts, RR: 0 Reply 13, posted (9 months 3 weeks 4 days 11 hours ago) and read 6005 times:
Really enjoyed reading your TR,well done.I would love to see Strategic expand their network within Australia as currently Sydney is not on their network.I reckon the cabin crew uniforms on both Skywest and Strategic look terrific,thanks for posting!
Quokka From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 14, posted (9 months 3 weeks 2 days 7 hours ago) and read 5632 times:
Hi QF175 and thank you for bringing a very interesting trip report.
My immediate question was why would anyone want to fly to Derby? It is a god-forsaken mudflat where the best feature is the road out of town. However, nearby are some very scenic and wonderful attractions, some decent fishing spots and it is a good starting point for the "Gibb River Road". Did you manage to get out of "town" and see places like Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek or the King Leopold Ranges (named after a King of the Belgians)?
The service offered by Strategic looks impressive with its clean aircraft and well-presented meals.
The second part of your report shows some wonderful photos from around Esperance. There truly is some stunning scenery to be enjoyed. I regularly have lunch there as my sister and niece live "just up the road" - 185km west in Ravensthorpe, which is also serviced by Skywest.
I tend to drive down to Eperance as I need the car when I get there., so it was instructive to read your comments. I haven't tried Skywest in their most recent formation - the last time was a few years ago when Skywest was part of Ansett.
Quoting QF175 (Thread starter): Apologies for the lack of inflight photos on the Skywest service, I should have made more of an effort to capture the inflight experience, given there are no regular trip reports on this carrier.
You will just have to come back and do another trip.
debonair From Germany, joined Jan 2004, 1739 posts, RR: 4 Reply 15, posted (9 months 2 weeks 2 days 12 hours ago) and read 5121 times:
Quoting QF175 (Thread starter): Media reports suggest that the Airline will rebrand later in 2011, launch a frequent flyer program and further expand services to new destinations, such as China.
Update: new name "Air Australia", new first route Hawaii and move to a LOW COST! airline!
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From Portugal, joined Mar 2007, 522 posts, 
From Germany, joined Jan 2004, 1739 posts, 
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From United Kingdom, joined Nov 2001, 803 posts, 
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Sultanils
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