There is a regional flight from Brisbane to Toowoomba

Skytrans Airlines has flights most days 9am to Toowoomba and 5pm return to Brisbane.

Perhaps she should try some "self help" and catch the Skytrans or fund the upgrade herself.

I live in Melbourne and avoid visiting family in Toowoomba because it is simply such a long day travelling to Brisbane and then again to Toowoomba. I have friends who are able to travel to smaller towns than Toowoomba, even Wagga Wagga has an aiport - I think it's time Toowoomba finally caught up with much smaller towns and cities than itself. If I could fly direct to Toowoomba I would be able to make weekend trips instead of spending a weekend getting there.

Yes, we are aware of Skytrans flights but it makes it a long and expensive trip...I have clients in Sydney and also stepchildren there and it is about time Toowoomba residents got what they voted for. Brisbane is not the be all and end all for travel. Despite the "precious" image some like to hold onto for this town, it is about time we lived up to our second largest inland city claim to fame and had services to support it.

Traditionally Toowoomba's problem was one of ill-will by the airlines. They (the airlines) have been doing this for years with cities that sit close to the state capital. Newcastle, Wollongong, Geelong and to a lesser extent the Gold Coast were largely ignored by the Qantas / Ansett duopoly, and when this was reasonably questioned the general response (from airlines or politicians) was that the market did not support increased services. You only have to look at the growth of well supported air travel to some of these cities in the last decade to see what a complete load of clap-trap that argument was. Make and support the market - don't just chase the market.

As for the airport issue, the closer in towards the city limits an airfield is the better it is in terms of patronage. The current site is probably not ideal but having said that it should never have been allowed to be built around in the manner it has been. It is however a hell of a lot better than a poorly chosen greenfield site, or distant and unsuitable facilities like Oakey. It's no use building a fabulous new airport for Toowoomba 30 mins drive away. It will get used but not nearly as well as it would if it sits adjacent to the principal market. Country airports that lie too far from town end up lacking supporting infrastructure within and or close to the airport. All you end up with then is a barn sized empty terminal with little else to comfort and capture the traveller.

My elderly parents would visit me more often if there was a proper airport. The travelling from Brisbane is horrific.