The Hon. John Anderson, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Transport and Regional Services, will officially open the Rex Lounge at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport Domestic Terminal T2 tomorrow morning.
The ceremony will take place within the Rex Lounge (Gate 47) at 8.45am with The Hon. John Sharp, Deputy Chairman of Rex, Mrs. Kay Hull, MP and many supporters in attendance. A special feature incorporated into the design of the lounge is a collage of photographs depicting the history of the two airlines, Hazelton and Kendell, which were merged to form Rex. In particular it pays tribute to the founders of these two great airlines – Max and Laurel Hazelton and Don and Eilish Kendell.
Rex Managing Director, Geoff Breust, said the opening of the new Rex Lounge was the culmination of a lengthy period of negotiation with Sydney Airports Corporation for the provision of appropriate facilities not only for the airline but the regional communities throughout NSW it serves.
“I take this opportunity again to thank all those organisations and individuals who supported Rex in securing these facilities. They include numerous Members of Parliament both at State and Federal level, organisations such as the NSW Local Government Association, the NSW Shires Association, the NSW Farmers Association, the Country Mayors’ Association, the Regional Aviation Association of Australia and many local Councils, individuals and organisations.
“We thank the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Transport and Regional Services for his role in monitoring the outcome to ensure the Government’s policy commitment of access to Sydney Airport by regional communities was maintained.”
We also thank Sydney Airport Corporation for its commitment in providing us with the facilities and working closely with us in completing what is a world class departure gate and corporate lounge for regional airline services,” Mr Breust said.
Rex has been very keen to provide our customers with a range of extra facilities and have been joined by some of regional partners in achieving this end. They include Telstra Country Wide and De Bortoli Wines.
In collaboration with Telstra Country Wide®, the Rex Lounge will be the first of many Rex gate lounges to be fully-equipped as a wireless hotspot. This simply means our business travellers are able to remotely check emails and access the internet at broadband speeds using wifi-enabled laptops or handheld devices.
In helping our customers appreciate the finer things in life, De Bortoli Wines from Griffith has joined Rex in supplying the distinct flavours of locally-produced wines from the Riverina, all year round at the Rex Lounge. The achievements of the De Bortoli family is legendary in the Riverina area and we are pleased to share the quality and heritage that is the cornerstone of their great product.
The lounge has other treats, not the least of which is a special massage chair. OSIM Australia introduces the Asian concept of relaxation, healthy living, beauty and spirit into its exclusive range of massage chairs and therapeutic aids. Lounge members can now rejuvenate tired muscles and refresh in between flights in just 15 minutes on the iSymphonic Chair, the world’s first massage chair that synchronises massage and music.
In addition to wi-fi capability, the Rex Lounge incorporates a Hewlett-Packard Business Centre, complete with the latest desktop computers and a multifunctional printer for copying, scanning and faxing. Corporate and Government travellers will be able to download e-mails, check the internet and catch up on work thereby optimising their busy schedules.
For entertainment it will be hard to miss the state-of-the-art 127cm of High-Definition television on the Panasonic Viera Plasma Screen at the far end of the lounge. All departure and arrival information is displayed on two Panasonic LCD screens near the entrance – ensuring customers will not miss vital flight information.
“Rex conducts over 500 flights weekly through Sydney Airport carrying up to 10,000 passengers. The new gate and lounge provide quality and effective customer service facilities for those passengers and will enable Rex to continue to provide a high level of service to our regional communities,” Mr Breust said.
® Registered trade mark of Telstra Corporation Limited
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