![NOT HAPPY: Wagga residents have slammed a Qantas announcement that it is about to suspend all direct Wagga to Melbourne flights. NOT HAPPY: Wagga residents have slammed a Qantas announcement that it is about to suspend all direct Wagga to Melbourne flights.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/172474527/7fa68cb6-9997-4fa5-a41a-73ccef5b6f0e.jpg/r0_0_1120_629_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Qantas has been slammed over its decision to suspend all direct Wagga to Melbourne flights from next month.
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The airline announced the move earlier this week, citing aircraft shortages in Melbourne, leaving Wagga residents up in arms.
Robert Thomas and his wife are due to fly via Melbourne to Western Australia on the carrier in about two weeks' time, but the suspension has disrupted their plans.
Instead of flying directly from Wagga to Melbourne the airline has booked the couple on a flight travelling via Sydney, but there is a catch.
"The flight from Sydney to Melbourne lands 45 minutes after we are due to take off for Broome," Mr Thomas said.
They now face a similar challenge getting home.
"Qantas cancelled the flight from Melbourne back to Wagga," he said.
"So we're going from Broome via Melbourne and Sydney to Wagga.
"The problem there is we are due to come home on the Sunday, but they had us flying back in on the Monday morning.
"That was also a red-eye flight all the way from Broome, so we'd get no sleep and have work the next day, which was just not on."
Wagga man Nick Spragg flies about once a month for work, and to visit family, and raised serious concerns about the suspension of services. "It's staggering to think Wagga is going from 65,000 people to 100,000 in the coming years and Australia's major carrier has just pulled out [of Wagga to Melbourne] flights," Mr Spragg said.
"It then turns into a monopoly, so what's [their opposition] Regional Express going to do with prices?"
Mr Spragg countered suggestions by Wagga mayor Dallas Tout and the Wagga Business Chamber that the suspension of flights to Melbourne would only be a slight inconvenience.
"It's going to be a bit [worse] than that," he said. He said, from personal experience, that Qantas flights on the route are busy.
Until the end of the month, Qantas will continue to operate three return flights between Melbourne and Wagga each week.
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In contrast, Rex runs Wagga to Melbourne flights twice daily from Monday to Friday and also runs services over the weekend.
Responding to the announcement, a Rex spokesman argued the route was never viable for Qantas.
"The Wagga to Melbourne route could never have supported the excess Qantas seat capacity. Rex has been publicly stating this for the last 18 months," the spokesman said.
However, Rex confirmed it would not be putting on extra Wagga to Melbourne services, saying "the demand is not enough for what we are already offering".
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