Flights finally take off
2 Apr 2012, Northern Territory News, By DAVID WOOD
A NEW Jetstar Darwin to Tokyo service finally began this morning after unexpected delays.
But the airline has revealed it is cutting back on flights to Cairns.
Jetstar spokesman Stephen Moynihan said the Darwin- ManilaTokyo route was delayed because of difficulty getting traffic approvals from the Philippines authorities.
It was held up by an objection made by a rival trying to protect its service between Japan and Manila.
Passengers could still fly to Manila but the onward leg to Japan had been put on hold.
Last week, John Carroll of Nightcliff said he was told that the Tokyo leg of his journey had been cancelled only 24 hours before he was due to leave.
He said missing a railway connection had cost him a lot of money.
But the dispute has been resolved after Jetstar obtained the approvals.
Mr Moynihan said there would be four services a week to Tokyo via Manila from Darwin.
But he said the company was reducing the number of flights between Cairns and Darwin from a daily service to three flights a week.
‘‘This change is due to the dynamics of the route. However, Darwin remains a crucial part of Jetstar’s domestic and international network,’’ Mr Moynihan said. He thanked customers for patience.