News & Discussion: Adelaide Airport & Airlines

[Brucetiki]

Great get. Didn't see that one coming.

Hopefully it's a success.

[rev]

[Ho Really]

Thanks for picking this up alexczarn from Ben Schlappig. He seems to have got this bit of news out pretty quickly beating even some of the US travel mags.

Definitely good news for anyone wanting to fly direct to the USA. Now that we have this (seasonal) service I hope you all take advantage of it and start flying there. Last thing we want is this to run for a year or so and then disappear.

Here are some interesting comments from Ben's OMAAT blog site:

Nick W

• Take Adelaide—on paper, it helps balance aircraft usage during the slower winter months and gives United another foothold in Australia, but why Adelaide, a city that’s never had direct U.S. service? Maybe United sees a long-term shift in business travel, betting that Adelaide’s growing defense, space, and renewable energy industries will attract more U.S. investment. Cargo could also be a factor—Adelaide is a major wine export hub, and United might be eyeing a piece of that high-value shipping business.

Bowie

• Surely the Adelaide route is United identifying that there is a market for people wanting to travel to the US from Adelaide who've had to connect in either Sydney or Melbourne before and are figuring this is a market worth tapping in to as it's somewhere that's never had direct flights before

Reply to Bowie from AvidAviator

• I agree, I think it's a smart move.
  
  I believe Aus-USA via CX (+AA if necessary) is actually quite popular. Problem is CX hasn't resumed ADL at all post-pandemic, meaning North America-bound pax are left to either long routings on QR/EK; limited choices on SQ (who also don't interline much with UA); or QF if pax can stomach their sky-high fares.
  
  This move by UA could prompt CX to get back in the ADL game.

Mike C

• The Adelaide service is interesting. At present Qantas doesn't offer any international services from there, that United has chosen to do so will not go unnoticed by the South Australian travelling public.

MissingScurrah

• I'm actually a tad less surprised at the Adelaide announcement than some other commenters. A lot of people seem to forget just how much Adelaide has grown in the past 20 years to a city of 1.5 million people, and just how much South Australia's tourism industry has grown in the same period. Not to mention the export market from the surrounding food and wine country. While the Perth market would certainly be even bigger, the logistics of operating this route (which would be the 3rd longest in the world) create obvious challenges both logistically and financially. Good on UA for giving it a crack.

A not so positive comment with a positive reply

Erikoj

• Bangkok by many measures is the world‘s most visited city by tourists.
  
  Seems incredible that there is not a single direct flight from the US to BKK
  
  Meanwhile Adelaide gets direct service
  
  I have been in both Adelaide and Bangkok in the last month. All of Adelaide would fit within one of Bangkok’s dozen districts
  
  The decision to favor Adelaide over Bangkok is analogous to turning down Chicago to focus on Amarillo TX

Reply to ErikoJ from Tim Dunn Diamond

• sorry but Paris is by far the most visited tourism city in the world.
  
  neither city has anywhere near enough business demand to pay for the flights that UA is planning to operate which is significant given UA's fairly premium 787 configurations.
  
  this is all an exercise in trying to find places to fly planes when Europe demand is low.

...and another one...

PlanetAvgeek

• Adelaide is a massive shock. I genuinely did not think this would happen for another 50 years **at best**
  
  I thought Perth would have happened before, considering the larger and more valuable market, as Perth has lots of high yield energy and resources travel.
  
  Thailand and Vietnam were long rumoured. It's almost unnerving that this has finally happened.
  
  The word "never" shouldn't ever be used in this industry ever again.

Reply to PlanetAvgeek from RichM Diamond

• While I'd love to see it, Perth is just too far to make it direct to the US. It's about 9,200 miles, which is about 300 more than the ultra-long-haul flights from Perth to London which we already have. Plus, there are already a vast number of domestic flights from here to Sydney and Melbourne.
  
  Connecting in Australia is far less painful than a domestic to international connection in the USA.

A further reply

Dave W. Guest

• It makes one wonder if ADL is paying UA in the same way BNE has

...and love this one...

Adelaide

• No thanks. We do not want Americans here in South Australia. As we say in Australia, piss off.

Reply to Adelaide from MissingScurrah

• I get the distinct impression you aren't actually Australian. No-one who lives here genuinely labours under the misapprehension that "piss off" is an Australian phrase.

A further reply

Dave W.

• I am an American who has spent about 2 years total in Adelaide this century. I have always been treated great there. There was a rumor there was one anti-American bogan around SA. Greetings, I finally met you.

Cheers

[rev]

LOL those comments. They start off logical and thoughtful, and descend into the usual Internet.

I think it'll be quite popular, but I reckon they'll keep it a seasonal thing a while before going to a couple weekly flights.

[VinyTapestry849]

LOL those comments. They start off logical and thoughtful, and descend into the usual Internet.

I think it'll be quite popular, but I reckon they'll keep it a seasonal thing a while before going to a couple weekly flights.

I’m sick of reading the online comments about like “who would want to go there with trump” or “I’m boycotting the US till orange man is gone”.

Give me a fking break, who cares what you think about trump. It’s as if this route only exists under trumps term and then ends.

No, this is a permanent seasonal route which business, tourists, and families will use regardless of the president of the USA. It’s so good for our economy and airport.

Arguably with a new direct route of our own, I think we’ll see a slight drop in traffic from the eastern states. It will be popular.

[SBD]

LOL those comments. They start off logical and thoughtful, and descend into the usual Internet.

I think it'll be quite popular, but I reckon they'll keep it a seasonal thing a while before going to a couple weekly flights.

I’m sick of reading the online comments about like “who would want to go there with trump” or “I’m boycotting the US till orange man is gone”.

Give me a fking break, who cares what you think about trump. It’s as if this route only exists under trumps term and then ends.

No, this is a permanent seasonal route which business, tourists, and families will use regardless of the president of the USA. It’s so good for our economy and airport.

Arguably with a new direct route of our own, I think we’ll see a slight drop in traffic from the eastern states. It will be popular.

What defines the "season"?

• Christmas?
• Southern summer tourism?
• Northern winter tourism? (yes, other side of the same coin)
• School holidays somewhere?
• Something significant in the business or government world that fills the front of the plane?
• Something significant in seasonal harvest one way or the other to fill the hold with time-sensitive produce freight?

[VinyTapestry849]

LOL those comments. They start off logical and thoughtful, and descend into the usual Internet.

I think it'll be quite popular, but I reckon they'll keep it a seasonal thing a while before going to a couple weekly flights.

I’m sick of reading the online comments about like “who would want to go there with trump” or “I’m boycotting the US till orange man is gone”.

Give me a fking break, who cares what you think about trump. It’s as if this route only exists under trumps term and then ends.

No, this is a permanent seasonal route which business, tourists, and families will use regardless of the president of the USA. It’s so good for our economy and airport.

Arguably with a new direct route of our own, I think we’ll see a slight drop in traffic from the eastern states. It will be popular.

What defines the "season"?

• Christmas?
• Southern summer tourism?
• Northern winter tourism? (yes, other side of the same coin)
• School holidays somewhere?
• Something significant in the business or government world that fills the front of the plane?
• Something significant in seasonal harvest one way or the other to fill the hold with time-sensitive produce freight?

The Christmas holidays new years season.

[Simmos083]

Expect another new airline announcement tomorrow… 10AM

[rev]

As Simmos93 said above

Indonesia AirAsia launches first-ever Adelaide to Bali route with introductory fares from $199



If you’re one of the many thousands of South Australians who love to travel to Bali each year, there’s good news at hand. Indonesia AirAsia is launching a new service linking Adelaide with Denpasar, Bali, from June 25, 2023. This marks the airline’s inaugural journey from Adelaide, providing South Australian travellers with additional choices for reaching the popular holiday destination. This route will operate using an A320-200 aircraft with 180 seats, offering four weekly flights that create over 74,000 visitor seats each year through Adelaide Airport.

From today, Indonesia AirAsia has launched its ticket sales for the flights, with fares starting from $199. The departure schedule from Adelaide is set for every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, with return flights from Bali on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday.

Veranita Yosephine, CEO of Indonesia AirAsia, said “Australia is one of our most important growth markets, and Adelaide will now serve as a gateway to over 130 destinations across the AirAsia Group network.”

The airline’s FlyThru services will also allow passengers travelling from Adelaide to seamlessly connect to various cities such as Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Bangkok, and Phuket, all via Bali. These connections promise convenient same-day travel without the need for a baggage transfer or check-in at transit points.

Brenton Cox, Managing Director of Adelaide Airport, commented on the significance of this addition to their network. He stated, “Bali is the most popular destination for South Australian travellers. The introduction of Indonesia AirAsia’s services will meet the pent-up demand for affordable flights.”

Acknowledging the role of affordable travel in market growth, Cox asserted that Indonesia AirAsia would enhance travel choices as Adelaide’s first non-stop Asia-based low-cost carrier since 2015. He also mentioned that the airline’s expansion offers low-cost travel options, giving access to its extensive network in Southeast Asia and farther locations such as Korea, Japan, and India.

Vedi Kurnia Buana, Indonesian Consul General in Sydney, also welcomed the new direct route. He recognised it as a beneficial move for increased tourism and economic collaboration between Indonesia and South Australia. “This service not only facilitates travel for Australians to Indonesia but also invites Indonesian tourists to explore South Australia’s landmarks and heritage,” said Buana.

The new route opens up varied flight options at attractive prices, including connections to Jakarta from AUD $252, Komodo Island from AUD $230, Kuala Lumpur from AUD $247, Singapore from AUD $232, Bangkok from AUD $291, and Phuket from AUD $322.

The introduction of Indonesia AirAsia’s Adelaide to Bali service promises to be a valuable expansion for South Australian travellers, offering affordable fares and convenient connections to explore Asia and beyond.

The flight sale kicks off from 11am today, at https://www.airasia.com/en/gb

https://glamadelaide.com.au/indonesia-a ... -from-199/

[Ben]

Leaving at 11:30pm? surely a typo.

[Ho Really]

AirAsia to Denpasar is nothing new. It was already announced in February.

Cheers

[Ho Really]

Leaving at 11:30pm? surely a typo.

That's the flight out of Denpasar.

Cheers

[rev]

There's another typo in there with the launch date..
Indonesia AirAsia is launching a new service linking Adelaide with Denpasar, Bali, from June 25, 2023

Checking that site linked in the article, 25 June 2025 there was nothing with just Indonesia Air Asia for $199.
Maybe need a code?

[shaun]

Also didn't Air Asia fly to Adelaide pre covid?

It's good news though, Jetstar currently have the monopoly with flights to Bali. Hopefully Virgin will recommence flights soon.

Would be great if Thai Airlines was the next airline to come here.

[alexczarn]

Also didn't Air Asia fly to Adelaide pre covid?

It's good news though, Jetstar currently have the monopoly with flights to Bali. Hopefully Virgin will recommence flights soon.

Would be great if Thai Airlines was the next airline to come here.

Still wishing for Cathay..