Mile high club anyone?

In Australia there are two main national airlines that you can rely on to go between the main cities and touristy routes - Virgin and Qantas. There are also a load of smaller airlines that service the shorter interstate routes and most of those are owned by Qantas so they are usually pricey and have a restricted service.

In the oldern days there used to be two large Airlines that serviced Australia with domestic flights. Unfortunatley, Ansett suffered from what has been quoted "bad planning" and left Qantas to rule the roost. Richar Branson being who he is saw this as a perfect opportunity and started Virgin Blue, Australia's first discount domestic airline.

Since Virgin Blue started it has taken off (boom, boom) and now rivals Qantas on most flights around austrlia. Since the arrival of Virgin the prices of flights have plummeted and it doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg to fly anymore. And the best thing is that you get a cheaper flight if you book on line

The main benefits of flying between destinations are obvious and they are the same regardless of who you fly with. The main things to consider when booking a flight are:-

• The flight times can be altered if your plans change - check for extra charges on the cheaper flight as they can be excessive
• Additional taxes and charges
• Red eye specials (flying out at midnight and landing at dawn)
  
• Don't fly over public holidays or peak times if you can avoid it
  
• Check prices on the net but always take a look at Flight Centre as they tend to offer very good deals.

Other things to think about when flying domestic:-

• You don't need a passport for domestic flights but you do need photo ID in this age of terrorism
  
• Mates can see you to the departure gate when flying domestic
  
• Virgin is no frills, Qantas are frilly - you pay for what you get.
• There isn't a great deal of entertainment on flight so take a book or music

These are the links you'll need to get booking

Virgin Blue

www.virginblue.com.au

Qantas

www.qantas.com.au