Flights from the Illawarra, south of Sydney, to Brisbane are booked out for the next week and a half, as regional NSW visitors are allowed to travel to Queensland.
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With the border reopening to anyone except people living in Sydney from Tuesday, Shellharbour flight operator Link Airways (formerly Fly Corporate) had no availability until November 13.
Airline services manager Jeff Boyd said his company had been buoyed by the swift uptake in tickets over the past three days, but said it was unlikely to put on more flights to Brisbane until it could examine broader travels trends.
"We've got to make sure this is not just a surge," he said.
"There are lot of people who have bookings in credit, and there's pent up demand from those wanting to see family."
Link Airways is currently running just two flights each week, on Thursday and Fridays, from Shellharbour to Brisbane and both are funded by the federal government's regional airline rescue package.
"Any money we earn off those flights we return to the government," Mr Boyd said.
Previously, most seats on these flights were empty as the only people able to fly were medical personnel, mining workers or people dealing with family emergencies who had been granted an exemption.
"With all the bookings we've had in the last three days, they are predominately people visiting friends and relatives," Mr Boyd said.
"There hasn't been a lot of business uptake yet and underpinning a lot of our flights is that business flying.
"I'd like to think we'd be able to put on more flights, but I think we've got to give it a week or so and see what the baseline is going to be."
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He said the airline had been "taken by surprise" by Queensland's border opening, and that it was an unexpected benefit for the regional airline that the northern state remained closed to Sydneysiders.
Under the rules, announced by the Queensland premier last Friday, anyone who has been in a hotspot in the previous 14 days will not be allowed through, but Sydney residents could spend 14 days in regional NSW and then travel to Queensland.
People from regional NSW - including the Illawarra - can still use Sydney airport to fly to Queensland, as long as they don't stop in Sydney on their way to catch a plane.
Mr Boyd said his company was watching closely for any announcement about the Victorian border reopening, which would make putting on more flights - from Shellharbour to Melbourne and Brisbane - more viable.
He also said the company was looking into whether longer-term travel patterns of regional Australians would change as international borders remain closed.
"We're launching flights from Canberra to Hobart this Thursday, it's been a great uptake on those flights," he said.
"Canberra hasn't had a direct flight to Hobart since 2013, and this is our first foray into the Canberra market and there's been a great uptake and overwhelmingly well received."
"This is people who are sick of being at home and want to go somewhere."