Rex Airlines has added extra services to Griffith, with more options for weekday travellers

Eleven regional cities across New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia will see increases, as well as previously announced new services to Tasmania. Griffith will see a 33 per cent increase to weekday services beginning in just a few weeks on July 4.

Other cities benefiting from the new services will include Albury, Coffs Harbout, Dubbo and Orange along with others.

Rex's General Manager of Network Strategy, Mr. Warrick Lodge, said that the increase in flights would help recovery of regional centres after COVID-19 limited tourism and travel.

"Rex sees strong recovery in these regional centres and is dedicating considerable resources to meet this demand," he said.

"These improved schedules will see us operating more flights on our regional network than pre-COVID and mark a significant turning point for the airline as we return to profitability."

It's not all good news however, as the Sydney to Cooma route is being cut out along with other lesser used routes. Sydney to Cooma saw less than 2000 passengers over the last year, contributing to the choice to no longer run those flights.

"It pains us to have to abandon half a dozen marginal regional routes after decades of faithful service," said Mr Lodge.

"From June 27, Rex will be withdrawing from the Sydney to Cooma route."

In Griffith, this will all culminate in one extra flight taking off from Griffith Airport on weekdays from 10.35am, going to Sydney with one stop in Narrandera.

The announcement comes on the same day that pilots for Rex can vote to take strike action as the Australian Federation of Air Pilots' lobbies for better pay and conditions.

The airline said it offered its SAAB twin-engine pilots a 5.1 per cent pay increase from July 1, plus catch-up payments amounting to eight per cent once the company is profitable post-COVID.

The union has disagreed, noting that the increase does not cover the previous four years of inflation and represents a cut in real terms.

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