Citilink to take on the Perth-Bali route

Indonesia's Citilink is to take on the Perth to Bali route from October this year. Low fare Indonesian airline Citilink will launch a daily Denpasar, Bali, to Perth service from October 28 with 180-seat Airbus A320 aircraft. Fares have not been announced as yet but travel agents expect some special deals to formally launch the service. Currently, the one-way fare in November is showing on its website at US$107 or A$165. But in December, and into next year, the fare jumps to $US263 (A$404) one way. However, the website is confusing in that it states that baggage is extra but a red headline statement announces that the fare includes everything. At those fare levels, Citilink could be more expensive than Indonesia AirAsia which is quoting A$140 one way to Bali in November rising to $440 at the very peak of the Christmas period but quickly dropping back to A$140 in January. However, with Indonesia Air Asia, there are add-ons. The Citilink flight QG542 leaves Denpasar at 1.10am and arrives in Perth at 4.50am, while the flight back to Bali departs at 9.50am and arrives at 1.30pm…. perfect for check-in. Citilink is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Garuda Indonesia in much the same way as Qantas and Jetstar. The airline serves 30 destinations in Indonesia with a fleet of 57 aircraft as well as Phnom Penh in Cambodia, Kunming in China, Penang in Malaysia and Dili in East Timor. Later this year as well as Perth, the airline is expanding to Frankfurt and Kuala Lumpur. Citilink will do battle with Jetstar, Batik Air, its owner Garuda, and Indonesia Air Asia.