The Tale of a Pelican and its Flight to the Gold Coast
- Matt Coughran
- Mar 28
- 10 min read
The minute I saw the announcement that Air Pelican were going to be servicing the Gold Coast from Newcastle, I knew I wanted to be part of the inaugural flight and bring you one of my Trip Reports. I’ve been super excited since booking the flight.
Before going into the trip report, I thought I would share some background on this new route. For a long time the Gold Coast - Newcastle route was only operated by Jetstar. These flights are daily, departing the Gold Coast at 5:10pm and returning at 7:00pm. With Air Pelican coming to the coast, things are a little different, which I will touch on in the Air Pelican part of the trip.
Flight Details:
Airline: Virgin Australia (operated by Alliance Airlines)
Flight Number: VA1106
Route: Brisbane - Newcastle
Aircraft: Fokker F100
Rego: VH-UQG (30 years old)
Seat: 17A
As I had already knew what flight I wanted back to the Gold Coast. I needed to find a way to get to Newcastle. There was only one option out of the Gold Coast and that was with Jetstar. At the time of booking the flights the costs were quite high. This was when I started looking at other options out of Brisbane, giving more options with other airlines (Virgin Australia or QANTAS). As an aviation geek, I have never flown on a Fokker F100 so I jumped on the opportunity.
Because we were flying out of a different airport to what we were arriving at, we needed a way to get to Brisbane, so this trip started at Robina train station at 1:33pm when our train arrived to the station. Queensland Rail have the AirTrain service which runs from Varsity Station ending at the Domestic Terminal in Brisbane.
The train trip from the Gold Coast roughly takes 1hr 45 minutes, taking you through Brisbane City.
As we came into Brisbane Airport, you have the opportunity to look over the airport,
The Train Station is connected directly to Brisbane Airport sitting in between the car park and the terminal. It is a short 5 minute walk to the check in counters.
We printed our boarding passes on the Kiosk (I always keep my boarding passes) and headed towards the security screening point. As the airport is currently going through renovations, the airport had moved the security point from the second floor to a temporary location on the ground floor.
Taking advantage of being a Velocity Gold member we used the priority pass screening lane and got through the security line quite quickly. After this we proceeded upstairs to the departure gates.
Unfortunately I didn’t travel too much in 2024, as a result of that I will lose my Velocity Gold Status which also means I lose access to the Virgin Lounge. I wanted to be sure I used the access one last time before being bumped to Silver.
As we entered the Virgin Lounge it felt like every passenger flying with Virgin had access, the lounge was full of people and finding a seat was proving to be difficult. After a minute or two of looking around, we finally found somewhere to sit and enjoy some snacks.
Boarding for our flight was at 4:50pm for a 5:20pm departure. Dad and I decided to head towards the gate at roughly 4:40pm as I wasn’t sure how far the walk was. Turns out it was just around the corner!
Passing through the terminal, I kept my eyes on the two Alliance Fokker’s I could see, one being the silver F70 and the other being the white and yellow F100. Knowing I was on the F100, I had a slight sense of excitement knowing there is a chance I could be on this special livery. It was just a matter of what gate it was parked at.
As we got to Gate 48. It was looking promising that VH-UQG was going to be our plane for the evening! How cool!
At 4:55pm boarding for the service had started and we were on the plane by 5:00pm. I was quite excited hopping onto this flight as I had never stepped onboard a Fokker F100 or any Fokker for that matter.
As I got onboard, you could tell the plane wasn’t a new plane, being born in the 90’s she had definitely seen some years on her with the plastics yellowing and cabin lighting glowing a bit more orange in some places. But thats exactly how I wanted it! As a classic! It was also cool to see the seating configuration as 2 + 3.
With the Fokker being a rear engined aircraft, I wanted to ensure we sat as far up the back as possible to enjoy the sight and sound of those beautiful Rolls Royce engines. After doing some research before booking I came to the conclusion Row 17 was the winner to get both. And It did not disappoint!
As I sat down, I felt that the seats were comfortable and leg room was acceptable for an aircraft of this size. The flight was extremely full and those who were last to board were starting to find it difficult to find a spot for their carry on baggage.
At 5:16pm pushback had started and it was time to enjoy the start up of those Rolls Royce engines.
After push back, we taxied to the legacy runway of Brisbane Airport which was in 01 operations for the afternoon.
At 5:28pm we started our roll and took off over the Moreton Bay area before turning right and making a 180 degrees turn before heading inland over the Gold Coast.
Throughout the flight the Cabin Crew offered complimentary tea, coffee or water. I chose the heavier option of water.
It wasn’t long until cloud became the common sight outside, until the sunset, which was unfortunately on the right hand side of the aircraft. But you need to believe me when I say it was amazing.. It was AMAZING! A bright colour of red with stormy clouds below. It looked amazing from the other side of the aircraft.
After the sun had set, visibility out the window was extremely poor, so poor that my iPhone couldn’t handle that sort of darkness. So no more photos or videos from this flight (hopefully one day I will be able to upgrade to Kurt' iPhone 15 Maxibon Plus Ultimate Edition).
Coming in to land, we could see that it was POURING down rain outside every time the strobe on the plane flashed. At roughly 7:40pm our flight landed at Newcastle Airport on Runway 30. We parked up at the bay a few minutes later.
We disembarked through the front of the aircraft and into the terminal.
We left the airport and ventured onto our 10 minute walk to the Mercure Hotel Newcastle Airport. We checked in and had an amazing burger at the Mach 1 restaurant.
Afterwards we went to our room, showered and prepared for our early morning departure back to the Gold Coast.
Flight Details:
Airline: Air Pelican
Flight Number: FP 411
Route: Newcastle - Gold Coast
Aircraft: BAe Jetstream 32
Rego: VH-OTQ (33 years old)
Seat: 2A
Well this was it! I was so excited for this flight, for many reasons but this flight had some special meaning to me. As a kid, my grandparents lived in Newcastle and I have small memories flying there at the age of 4 - 6 on a Dash 8 or 1900D. Being able to fly back to the Gold Coast on a plane with props brought back some of that nostalgia from 30 years ago.
With some snoozing of the alarm at 4:45am we got ourselves ready, checked out of the hotel and headed to the airport at 5:45am for a 6:00am check in.
We had to walk through the carpark of the airport and to the check in counters. Newcastle Airport is currently in the process of building a brand new terminal which I believe will be used for International Flights.
The Air Pelican check in process at Newcastle Airport required us to line up and check in with the Air Pelican crew. As the J32 is such a small plane and only carries 19 passengers, it is extremely important that the crew ensure the carry on doesn’t exceed the 7KG limit. Checking In for our flight was quick and easy.
We proceeded to the security point for our bags to be scanned and within minutes we were heading to Gate 1 for our flight.
Upon arriving at the gate, there were balloons, signage, food and a cake to celebrate this inaugural flight to the Gold Coast.
Whilst waiting for the flight, I introduced myself to Marty who was the CEO of Air Pelican. We had a great chat around the opportunity this brings Air Pelican but also the reason for the flights. And to put it simply, residents and business people wanted a morning flight to get to the Gold Coast instead of having to fly the night prior to get to their meetings.
The flight also attracted the local news outlet to attend and cover the story. The crew even flew with us to the Coast.
At roughly 6:30am the cake cutting occurred and cake was handed out to the passengers travelling with Air Pelican to all of their morning destinations. Of course I had some cake!
At 6:50am boarding for our 7:00am service started. As we got outside we had to wait for another Air Pelican flight to leave from its bay. That’s when I realised, I was next to a friend of our channel. Shade, who was also flying on this special flight.
We walked towards our plane and boarded through the rear of the plane using its built in stairs.
Head room is limited on this plane but it felt so cool and cosy! I took my seat in 2A. The seating layout on this aircraft is 1 + 2. Dad sat behind me in row 3 so he could also have a window view.
Another special part of this plane was that the cockpit is also open and not restricted by a door. This meant we could see everything the pilots were doing. Watching the crew doing their checks before starting the plane was really awesome to watch and I wish this is something we could go back to seeing on most planes.
At 07:04am the engines were started and we were rolling a few minutes later towards Runway 30 for departure
07:10am we lined up and we were on our way to the Gold Coast. We made a left hand turn over Newcastle’s famous Stockton Beach and headed north.
Much like the flight to Newcastle, clouds were the item of the day. Although we did get to enjoy the sunrise.
This flight doesn’t include any onboard service as there are no cabin crew, just the pilots.
Throughout the flight I caught up with Shade and enjoyed the views below when the cloud had a break.
Flying at roughly 16,000 feet on a clear day the views below would be fantastic and something you wouldn’t get to enjoy 10,000 feet higher.
Usually when flying over Coffs Harbour the descent into the Gold Coast would start, but not today! Descent into the Gold Coast didn’t start until Pottsville which is around 10 minutes before touch down.
We started our descent into the Gold Coast, heading inland we could see Surfers Paradise. One of the coolest part of this flight was on the final approach into the airport, as the cockpit is fully open, I poked my head out and could see directly down the runway and everything the pilots could see. It was this moment I wish I had two cameras so I could have recorded that view, too. What an experience!
At 07:45am (QLD time) we touched down on Runway 14 and taxied to our gate. I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t a water canon event for the arrival!
The flight crew opened the door of the plane and we started to disembark at 07:50am, and the whole experience was over!
Summary:
Starting with the Virgin Australia flight, being able to fly on a F100 was an item I wanted to tick off my list for a long time and I throughly enjoyed it. A couple of things I didn’t mention earlier but I will admit I was underwhelmed by the Alliance experience onboard and expected more from the Alliance Cabin Crew. Also this may seem like a “privileged” comment, but each time I’ve visited the Virgin Lounge, I’ve enjoyed the experience less and less. There are too many people and finding a seat is proving to be increasingly difficult. These days its easier to find a seat in the terminal and relax there.
The F100 itself was an awesome plane, sounded fantastic, and for an aircraft that is 30 years old the flight was smooth and comfortable. I’d highly recommend to get on one of these beauties before they are retired. When? Sooner than you think..
As for my Air Pelican experience, the cost of the flights are expensive compared to Jetstar. $249.00 one way… I fear Jetstar will eat Air Pelican up with their cheaper flights. But at the time of making my booking, the Jetstar flight from the Gold Coast was close to $300 without any extras. If you’re traveling for work, once you add the cost of the Jetstar flight and an extra night accomodation due to the Jetstar flight being that night flight. The $249.00 seems quite reasonable.
Personally to me, Air Pelican isn’t an just an airline, its a regional Airline run by a group of people who are passionate about service. I would compare Air Pelican to your local corner store and Jetstar/QANTAS/Virgin to a massive supermarket. You’re treated like family and not just a transacation. The Captain of my flight was one of the Directors of Air Pelican… This tells you how much heart and soul is put into this airline.
Yes the plane is small and the flight time might be a bit slower. But when you’re flying in what feels like your own personal plane and at 16,000 feet with the amazing views below, I believe it is 100% worth it. I love the Jetstream 32, it takes me back to my childhood and with the world being so crazy around us. Its a great feeling to have.
I really hope those who need to fly to the Gold Coast or Newcastle consider Air Pelican and their service. These are the true heroes of the aviation world, the small business making a difference. I want to see this service continue for years to come.
Its clear that Air Pelican have a place in my heart after my experience and I wish them all the luck and hope to see this route continue for many years to come.
Until next time. Thanks for reading
Matt
Awesome trip report Matt? Great read 👌