12:00a.m. 30th May 2008

| By Alan Lander

Qantas' subsidiary airline Jetstar has cancelled its three weekly Adelaide flights into the Coast.

As part of its parent Qantas’ cutbacks due to fuel costs, the increasingly popular flights will cease from July 1.

Jetstar spokesman Simon Westaway yesterday said the airline “regretted” the move.

“We are reverting to core operations with the Sunshine Coast,” he said.

“We have expanded our Sydney and Melbourne flights (to the Coast) so it’s not a case of moving away from the market.”

Mr Westaway said while the Adelaide route was “extra” to core operations “it was not an experiment”.

“The (passenger traffic) loading was okay, but it was not a strong performer or we would be keeping it going,” he said.

“But it was a (relatively) poor performer.”

He said the airline would continue to support the region’s tourism industry.

Sunshine Coast Airport manager Peter Pallot said he also regretted the loss of the inbound flights, the third of which was only introduced last October.

“It is unfortunately out of our control,” he said.

“The cost of fuel has made these flights hard to maintain.”

Mr Pallot said he spoke to Jetstar on Wednesday and understood no other flights were affected “at this stage”.

“If there is a reversal in the fuel price we are in a strong position to regain these flights,” he said.

“Our relationship (with Jetstar) is still very strong, and I am pleased the Sydney and Melbourne flights have not been affected.

“They are so important to our business and leisure markets.”

Tourism Sunshine Coast general manager John Fitzgerald, who yesterday launched a $600,000 advertising campaign to entice Sydney and Melbourne tourists to the Coast, said we “never like to lose flights”.

“The Adelaide market was not that strong – but we had plans to make it grow,’ he said.

Meanwhile Jetstar said it did not expect its domestic flights to and from the Coast to be affected by rolling stop-work meetings being held by Qantas engineers in Melbourne today.