International Airlines
If you live outside of Australia and are hoping to backpack around the country, the best way to get there is to fly. Of all of the airlines based in Australia that fly internationally, the most well known is Qantas, which is a Sydney-based airline that flies to 21 international destinations in 14 countries. It is Australia's largest and second-oldest airline. In addition, Qantas also has an offshoot, budget airline called JetStar Airways, which is based in Melbourne and flies to 15 countries. Virgin Blue is another budget airline owned by Virgin Airlines. Primarily, Virgin Blue flies within Australia; however, it does also have regular flights to nine other countries including New Zealand and Fiji. Finally, there is Air North, a small regional airline based in Darwin that flies regularly to Dili in Timor-Leste.
National Airlines
Four main airlines offer flights throughout Australia: Qantas; JetStar; Virgin Blue and Regional Express. According to Australian Explorer, Regional Express is Australia's largest independent regional airline. Qantas dominates the skies with numerous flights to towns all over the country. JetStar offers flights to nearly 20 destinations including Cairns and the Whitsunday Coast, perfect for a trip to the Great Barrier Reef. Virgin Blue flies to more than 30 destinations from Perth to Hervey Bay. Regional Express is headquartered in Sydney and has regular flights to destinations in New South Wales, Tasmania, Victoria and South Australia.
Regional Airlines
In addition to the national airlines, Australia has numerous small regional airlines. Air North primarily flies around Northern Australia, an excellent option if you want to experience the outback. Eastern Australian airlines is a Sydney-based airline that flies throughout New South Wales. Skywest is an airline based in Perth, which primarily services Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Sunstate is a subsidiary of Qantas and primarily flies throughout Queensland. Tasair is based in Hobart and has regular flights around Tasmania. Aeropelican is based in Newcastle and offers direct flights to Sydney.
