No 'nt' in Qantas
Well, while Dixon may still sing 'We Still Call Australia Home' it appears that the NT might be disappearing from Qantas.
the following article from etravelblackboard
Qantas makes NT a harder place to travel
Tuesday, 26 September 2006
Rumours have been spreading about the complete Qantas withdrawal from the Northern Territory, gradually handing over the reigns to its budget carrier Jetstar.
What has really spurred this on is the recent hand over of the historic Darwin-Singapore route to Jetstar. This route is one of the last major Qantas routes going from the Northern Territory, and after October 29 of this year, there will be no direct Qantas flights from the Northern Territory to a capital city.
While complaints have been raised about this, Tourism NT manager Tony Clementson told the Northern Territory News that “you can get there (Singapore) seven days a week [with Jetstar], whereas currently with Qantas you could only get there five days a week an with Tiger only two.”
These days, travelling to and from the Northern Territory is budget travel. There is the option of Jetstar, Virgin, Tiger, Royal Brunei or nothing at all. There is no possible way to find a commercial flight to Katherine or Tennant Creek – the Aboriginal Air Services stopped flying last week after experience financial turbulence.
While the Jetstar takeover of some NT flight will improve the backpacking sector of the territory’s tourism market, the eventual degradation of the aviation industry in the Northern Territory will most likely make it an unappealing destination for the majority of travellers.