Sam Bee

As i've been planning a trip using these flights, i've had a quick look at reliability (can be variable) and seen a new timetable in place later this year:

From 15 October flights will operate on the following round trip:
Tuesday: Perth – Christmas Island – Cocos (Keeling) Islands – Perth (no change)
Friday: Perth – Learmonth – Cocos (Keeling) Islands – Christmas Island – Perth (times still to be advised)

Perth - Christmas Island is 3h50, to Cocos is 4h35. Long old flights on an A320. I'm assuming that these flights are return fuelled - or does Christmas Island have aviation fuel? And a complete PER-PER rotation is over 11 hours - does this mean pilots / crew have to break their journey on Christmas Island? Does that make it a popular / unpopular route to fly?!

I appreciate it's a subsidised route, but it just strikes me as such an odd routing - and an expensive one (both for passengers and the airline) - considering that (i've been told) it can't carry cargo due to fuel restrictions.

CPMaverick

This route is kind of a nightmare. I had the unpleasant experience of flying this route. Some details here:

VA stranding pax in Christmas Island, potentially for days

In short, VA contracts this route to VARA (which is legally a separate airline) and this severely limits their ability to support it (as they will not put their own metal or pilots on this route, even to support irregular operations). VARA only has 2 A320s, and I'm not sure how many capable pilots for these aircraft.

Christmas Island (XCH) does have aviation fuel. However the bigger problem is that XCH only supports visual approach (sorry if I get the technicalities wrong, but basically if it is cloudy they can't land there). The plane must carry enough fuel for an alternate airport, which would be Jakarta. Once landed there, the pilots are timed out and the pax stuck somewhere VA doesn't fly to. So, they just cancel this route at any indication of potential weather, and they only reschedule when VARA has an available A320 and pilots, and the weather is close to perfect (or, wait up to 5 days until the next scheduled flight!).

I believe Garuda flies once a week to XCH, I would recommend trying to fly them. Unfortunately, I don't know of any other way to get to Cocos (CCK).

The record of this route is horrendous. Every single person on XCH I spoke to was delayed, some stuck for days on CCK before getting to XCH. I was stuck for 3 days on XCH, and had to cancel my time in CCK. Even on days when Garuda and charter flights by Alliance & Malindo operated, VA blamed the weather and kept the rolling delay going. Avoid VA if possible, but if you go, build in several extra days in your schedule.

I can only hope this refueling stop added to the schedule (which was often done unscheduled anyway) is a way VA is trying to improve the situation, because it is the most poorly handled flight operation I've ever been a part of (having flown over 500 different routes myself). I'd love to go to CCK, or XCH again, but would never consider flying VARA again if there isn't an improvement in the route's viability.

Here is some information on the charter flight options to XCH from Asia
https://www.christmas.net.au/plan-yo...p/flights.html

Sam Bee

Ah you poor bugger, just read that australianfrequentflyer link. I have been before to Christmas Island when flights were from KL, and will use the Garuda flights - but the new VA dates mean it's possible to do CGK-XCH-CCK-XCH-CGK in a week as trying to get out to Cocos.

However, it seems that the Virgin flights are the potential pitfall here. Seems very odd to be talking about Garuda as the 'reliable' operator compared to a different airline, but I suppose at 50 minutes from jakarta, they can amend / adjust their flight easily due to weather and operate in a shorter window than Virgin - who would be predicting the weather 6 hours off if flying from Perth - Cocos - Christmas.

Just a note - i've been told that the Alliance flight you mention is a weekly cargo charter and doesn't take pax (has the postal contract and delivers fresh food) - no idea why these services don't go to the Garuda flight though.

CPMaverick

Alliance flies out of PER, so I assume Australia gets some preference for postal and commodities service to its territory. That's why Alliance gets those contracts I assume. It sure would seem to make more sense for VA to get that contract as well, and limit PAX on their A320 flight (with more frequent service). Or get more suitable aircraft....

The Alliance flight definitely does take some passengers, I saw them deplane. I was told only government or mining workers - at the least you needed 'connections'.

If I were a consultant, I would recommend the two territories get together and base an E190 or similar at XCH, with local crews. Fly a daily RT between the two airports. Then any of the options to XCH could connect to CCK, and VA could rotate between a direct flight PER-CCK and PER-XCH without that little jump between which probably makes the difference at times between flying and canceling the route.

ozstamps

Keep meaning to do this one, before it gets pulled one day for some reason.

So Virgin crews on all flights it seems?

I presume I can book it Perth - Xmas with a stop in Cocos, for about same cost as a far to either destination from Perth??

It seems accommodation is not an issue for either place?

When I looked last year it seems plane was sold as 100% economy seating? Are the first rows the same as the others - as a Virgin Plat getting early rows in advance is never an issue usually.

kpc

I did Cck and Xch a couple of years back and had a BALL!!

Tues: Syd-Per Y award; Per-Xch-Cck Y award. couldn't book on one PNR but this may have changed
Fri: Cck-Xch paid Y...flight cancelled and flew next day.
Tues: Xch-Cck-Per Y award, then forced O/N in Per
Wed: Per-Syd paid Y

You must go to Xch at the beginning of the rainy season (Nov) for the Great Red Crab migration...it is incredible!
Cck is a beach paradise with Cossie's beach on Direction Island voted the best beach in Australia a couple years back!
The A320 is all Y config with NO in flight entertainment!

Whilst it is a domestic flight, it leaves from Per international so remember liquid rules. all you need is an Australian driver licence for ID but I would recommend bringing your passport in case you end up in Cgk!!
Allow for cancellations which are frequent. Our Cck-Xch flight was delayed by 24 hours. Don't have international flights too close to the flights to/ from Cck / Xch

We stayed at Castaway - and Sunset Index respectively and both are recommended
A hire car is needed for Xch but a bicycle will do at Cck

All the info re Cck: https://www.cocoskeelingislands.com.au/

My suggestion is to go to Cck first and pack your suitcase full of grog / groceries as this is expensive at Cck and there are few restaurants.... plenty of grocery stores and restaurants in Xch,

One of the best trips I have done within Australia!

CPMaverick

It's a VARA flight so you get VARA crews, same uniforms as VA. Service was below typical VA but acceptable. They served a very small flatbread sandwich for food. Planes are 100% economy, one A320 is really run down inside, the other is a bit better. Both look like proper VA planes on the outside, but feel very sub-par on the inside.

As a Plat I could select row 1 but got bumped out 2 days before my flight (both directions). Employees were seated in my original seat both times. Nothing special about the forward seating though. Many of the windows are filthy and/or have those fine 'stress cracks' in them you sometimes see, which was a shame because the views would have been spectacular otherwise.

The flight schedule makes it difficult to plan a short stop in one island and then go to the other. Each time the plane flies from XCH-CCK or vv, it continues to PER. So, unless you stay a week on each island, you have to 'back track' to return to PER. For example, if you take the direct PER-XCH Tuesday flight, you can't fly to CCK until the next Tuesday. And if you want to fly direct CCK-PER, you have to wait another week, but you can return via XCH on Saturday. Not a big deal, but a bit annoying, especially when the flights are so often canceled.

kpc

If you follow my itinerary below , you can do both in 8 days with 3 nights in Cck and 4 nights in Xch ....whatever you choose to do, you will be forced to overnight in Per either inbound or outbound!

CPMaverick

Yes indeed, but you backtrack through each airport twice, connecting at XCH to get to CCK and then connecting through CCK to return. That's what I was saying, it is just a bit awkward. Not a major drama.