Recently, I set out on a unique Australian aviation experience — flying on board the Fokker 100 with Alliance Airlines, operating on behalf of Virgin Australia, between Newcastle and Brisbane. While the aircraft is a familiar sight in Western Australia, it’s rare to find a scheduled Fokker 100 service along the East Coast, making this quick hop to Queensland’s capital something a little more special.
Alliance Airlines and the Fokker 100
Alliance Airlines is the world’s largest operator of the Fokker 100, a classic twin-engine regional jet that first entered service in the late 1980s. With over 30 years of service, these aircraft have a distinctive vintage charm while still offering a reliable workhorse for regional and charter operations. Alliance primarily serves the needs of Qantas and Virgin Australia, providing more than 4,000 flights every month across both Fokker and Embraer fleets.
On this flight, Virgin Australia marketed the route, but Alliance supplied the aircraft, crew, and operations. For aviation enthusiasts, it’s an irresistible opportunity to step back in time and enjoy the old-school appeal of the Fokker 100, especially on the East Coast where they are far less common than in Western Australia.
Departure from Newcastle
Newcastle is Australia’s seventh largest city, a vibrant coastal hub with more than half a million residents. Newcastle Williamtown Airport, which also serves Port Stephens and the Hunter Valley, is the nation’s 13th busiest airport, handling around 1.2 million passengers annually. With a brand-new arrivals and international terminal recently completed, the airport is positioning itself for future growth, with confirmed Jetstar flights to Bali and discussions underway for potential services to Fiji, New Zealand, and Singapore.
For now, domestic services are the bread and butter, and check-in remains a refreshingly manual process. Even though I was flying on an Alliance aircraft, Virgin Australia handled all check-in formalities. Counters opened about 90 minutes before departure, and I was pleasantly surprised to receive a free exit row seat upgrade during the process.
Boarding and Cabin
After navigating the somewhat gloomy Newcastle morning, boarding was straightforward. Alliance’s Fokker 100s are configured with 100 seats in a 2-3 layout, offering a generous 33 inches of seat pitch — spacious by today’s economy class standards. My exit row seat offered even more legroom, and the seats themselves were well-padded with sturdy tray tables. In a nod to the aircraft’s age, sealed ashtrays are still fitted into the armrests, a relic of a bygone era when smoking on flights was the norm.
The aircraft for this flight, VH-UQN, has an interesting history. Delivered new to American Airlines in 1991, it later flew for carriers in Canada, Austria, and finally Austrian Airlines before joining Alliance Airlines in 2018. Now more than three decades old, it remains in excellent condition and continues to serve regional routes reliably.
In-Flight Service
Once airborne, we climbed to a cruising altitude of 31,000 feet, making light work of the 612-kilometre journey up the New South Wales coastline. Service mirrored Virgin Australia’s standard domestic offering — complimentary tea, coffee, and water. There was no buy-on-board menu, but with a flight time of just over an hour, few passengers missed it.
The lavatories were classic Fokker 100 style: compact, functional, and showing their age, but kept clean and perfectly serviceable. There was no baby-change table, though otherwise everything required was provided.
Views Along the Way
As the rain clouds cleared, the flight revealed some breathtaking scenery along the New South Wales North Coast. Highlights included aerial views of Ballina, Byron Bay, and Cape Byron, the easternmost point of mainland Australia. Crossing the border into Queensland, we enjoyed glimpses of the Gold Coast and its hinterland before beginning descent into Brisbane.
Arrival in Brisbane
Approach into Brisbane was particularly stunning, with sweeping views of the Brisbane River and skyline from the left-hand side of the aircraft. We touched down smoothly and taxied to the gate on time. Unfortunately, my tight 45-minute connection onto a Virgin Australia Boeing 737 MAX service to Perth left no time to linger in Brisbane.
Verdict
Overall, this flight was a perfectly smooth and enjoyable hop from Newcastle to Brisbane. The service was simple but adequate, the aircraft was comfortable despite its age, and the nostalgia of flying a Fokker 100 made it especially memorable. For East Coast travellers, it’s a rare chance to fly on this classic jet — one that will inevitably be phased out in the years ahead.
Flying Alliance Airlines on behalf of Virgin Australia isn’t fundamentally different to a standard Virgin service, but the aircraft itself makes it something worth seeking out. For aviation enthusiasts and curious travellers alike, this is a flight worth experiencing while you still can.
Final Score: 8/10 – A rare and nostalgic Fokker 100 experience, smooth and reliable, with a touch of old-school charm.
Disclaimer: This article has been repurposed from the original transcript of my own flight review with the assistance of AI technologies. Please be advised whilst I have taken the utmost care to review and revise this article where necessary to reflect the upmost of accuracy at time of publication please be advised my reviews whether written or in video form are for entertainment and general information purposes only. They reflect the objective views in good faith of the person only whom is presenting them unless otherwise noted. Any decisions you make resulting from consuming my content must take into consideration your own circumstances, research and responsibility as I can not be hold responsible for any inaccuracies or future changes effecting the relativity of such reviews. All Rights Reserved by Aussie JetSetter from 2022 >
