The itinerary which was the least expensive for me for a one-way trip to Uluru-Ayers Rock airport in Australia was to fly as a passenger aboard an airplane which was operated by Jetstar Airways — which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Qantas Airways — for the outbound flight from Sydney. I have flown as a passenger on this route years ago with Qantas Airways — but I had never used Jetstar Airways before; so I was not sure as to what to expect.
My First Time As a Passenger With Jetstar Airways — and The Verdict Is…
As important as the flight experience itself is the process of booking a ticket with Jetstar Airways — and the process starts easily enough, with a scrollable airfare bar which allows you to choose the lowest airfare. More information will be imparted on the actual flight in a moment.
First, let me demonstrate the process of booking a ticket with Jetstar Airways with a phantom flight: because I randomly chose Wednesday, May 22, 2024 for my flight — I was going through the process for this article and not actually booking a flight — the least expensive airfare one way was $129.00 in Australian dollars, which is what I chose for this example.
At this point in the booking process, the time to sell is now: first, which bundle would you like to purchase? Four choices of airfare bundles were offered — each with their own features and benefits: Starter, Flex, Plus, and Max. Note the yellow alert above the Plus bundle, which states that it is a “popular choice”; and that I can save at least 54 percent on my included extra items. Starter is the equivalent to Basic Economy; and that was the one I chose, as I did not want or need most of the options which were offered with the more expensive fares.
In this example, only the more expensive airfare offered lower airfares for anyone who is a member of Club Jetstar lowest fare club — meaning that the lower Club Jetstar fares are not always available. Had I chosen the more expensive Starter fare as a member of Club Jetstar, I would have saved eleven Australian dollars.
For this example, I will continue the process of booking a ticket with the $129.00 airfare. As the flight was only one way, I did not need to choose a return flight.
Next comes selling you a baggage allowance. You can choose options for checked baggage. Note the conspicuous prompt that the 20 kilogram option is “recommended” for trips to this destination.
Because I almost never check baggage, I ignored the recommended option and chose 0 kilograms. True to the tactics of an ultra-low-cost airline, I was prompted with the question “Are you sure?”, as adding baggage on later was more expensive; and adding baggage at the airport was “much more expensive”. I ignored this and moved on.
The next choice was carry-on baggage, of which passengers could carry aboard both a bag and a personal item for no extra charge — but the total weight permitted between both items was seven kilograms, which is equivalent to almost 15.5 pounds. I rarely pay extra for weight; but because this flight was part of a trip that lasted slightly greater than three weeks — plus, I was carrying my laptop computer and camera equipment with me — I reluctantly decided to play it safe and paid extra for the option of 14 kilograms, which is equivalent to almost 31 pounds.
Adding the 14 kilogram option increased the fare by $30.00 to $159.00. I then continued with the process of booking a ticket.
Once all flight segments have been selected, you have the option to pay the airfare with interest-free payments — I was offered to pay four interest-free fortnightly payments of $40.35 — but you will be paying for this service; and the fee of 1.5 percent is not initially disclosed:
Afterpay lets you buy what you want today and pay for it over four fortnightly instalments. Make your purchase using Afterpay (subject to approval) and let Afterpay do the rest — they’ll schedule your payments, remind you when they’re due and automatically process them for you.
Afterpay is available for bookings that don’t exceed $3,000 including a payment fee of 1.5%. If your total order amount exceeds your approved spending limit, your upfront payment may be higher than subsequent payments. Afterpay will show you how the instalments are split before you pay, with the first payment due at the time of purchase. Afterpay is interest-free when paid by the due date otherwise late fees apply. Refer to the Terms & Conditions for more information.
Suffice it to say, do not choose this option if you are seeking to save money on airfare.
Next to sell by Jetstar Airways is the selection of a seat. For this one segment, selecting a seat can cost between $8.00 and $24.00 — in Australian dollars, of course. Know that the price of selecting a seat depends on the flight and where the seat is located aboard the airplane. You are not required to select a seat — unless you want a guarantee that you will sit next to a traveling partner or you want a specific seat. Otherwise, you can continue and skip this step.
Choosing seats with the Starter fare costs extra. I did not choose a seat; so I skipped this step. After checking in for my flight, I was assigned seat 5A, which is a window seat near the front of the airplane. That would have cost me at least eleven extra Australian dollars had I selected the seat at any time prior to checking in for the flight.
Meals and snacks may be ordered in advance during the process of booking a ticket. The flight was only three hours and 35 minutes in duration. I did not need any sustenance; so I skipped this step.
Because I had at least two additional flights booked with Jetstar Airways later in my itinerary, I joined Club Jetstar while I was still planning my itinerary, which ultimately saved me a total five Australian dollars or almost $3.30 in United States dollars when including all costs. Had I added additional flights to my itinerary, I potentially would have saved more money.
More sales opportunities: next was the offer to book a room at a hotel or resort property.
Unlike Frontier Airlines — which asks for passenger information and contact details at the beginning of the process of booking a ticket — Jetstar Airways does not request the information until towards the end of the process of booking a ticket.
Next comes the last ditch effort to sell something called FareCredit, which “gives you the flexibility to cancel your booking any time before airport check-in for a credit voucher to the value of your flights and any in-flight extras.”
Qantas Points can be used with another payment method to pay for the ticket.
You could also donate to StarKids; and 100 percent of the donation will go to World Vision to improve the lives of children in some of the world’s poorest communities.
Finally, Jetstar Airways offers a variety of ways to pay for the ticket. The percentage of fees that are applied to each method is useful information about which to know.
One thing about flying as a passenger with Jetstar Airways is that the upselling process is not nearly as frenetic as that of Frontier Airlines, which uses almost every possible way to upsell on almost anything it can upsell: during the ticket booking process, on placards, and on signage as only three of numerous conveyances to sell baggage allowances, seat assignments, food, snacks, and beverages — among other items and services.
The Flight Experience
Because I had already checked in for my flight before arriving at Sydney Airport, I had no need to arrive at the ticket counter, which did not seem to have long lines. I went through the security checkpoint and headed straight to the gate.
I have to admit that seeing a sign decorated with tinsel that wishes everyone “Happy Holidays” in the middle of summer was rather odd to me.
I was pleasantly surprised at the cleanliness of the interior of the airplane once I boarded the airplane — but as the Airbus A320-200 aircraft was delivered almost 15.5 years ago in November of 2008, it definitely did not feel like a new airplane.
The average amount of pitch between rows of seats — which is the distance between the back of your seat and the back of the seat in front of you — is 73.7 centimeters or 29 inches.
The exit row seats have more leg room — but you must pay extra to sit in them…
…and at 45.4 centimeters or 17.88 inches wide, the seats were reasonably comfortable. Passengers can recline when seated in these seats.
The head rests of the leather seats were neither separate nor adjustable.
Unlike many ultra-low-cost carriers, entertainment options are offered via your own portable electronic device — but keep in mind that airplanes which are operated by Jetstar Airways are not equipped with ports or electrical outlets of any kind.
The tray table was of a typical size that is similar to those offered by other airlines.
I had no complaints about the leg room. It was not restricting or confining to me.
Inside the seat pocket was both a safety information card for the airplane and a menu. Bundles of drinks and snacks — as well as classic beef lasagna, vegetable teriyaki noodles, and a bacon and egg ciabatta sandwich — ranged in cost from eight dollars to $23.00 each. All prices are in Australian dollars.
An “international chill kit” was also on sale for $27.00, which includes an eye mask, ear plugs, socks, dental kit, lip balm, hand cream, wet wipe, pen, tote bag, inflatable pillow, and a “comfy” blanket which you can take home. While these items can likely be less expensive if just shopping for them at a store, almost $17.75 in United States dollars is really not a bad price to pay to feel like you are traveling in the premium class cabin — especially when compared to the actual cost of a ticket for a seat in the premium class cabin aboard the airplanes of many other airlines. Just close your eyes — or use the included eye mask — to virtually transport yourself to the premium class cabin for the duration of the flight, as you will not need to be concerned about missing a meal service or other services.
A variety of cans of beer was on sale for ten dollars. Ginger beer, assorted wine and other alcoholic beverages were on sale for $12.00; while a choice of small bottles of gin, vodka, whiskey, bourbon, or Canadian Club were on sale for $12.50.
The price of soft drinks was four dollars for each can of juice, water, or soda. Coffee, hot chocolate, or a choice of four different kinds of tea cost five dollars for each cup. Passengers can also order sweet or savory snacks for five dollars each; or a choice of a cup of instant noodles or risotto for $7.50. I did not purchase any snacks or drinks; but a fellow passenger who was seated nearby ordered the noodled vegetable soup. It sounded good; but I could not understand the reason why its strong odor was awful.
The air flow from the unit above provided ample cool air. Also in the unit are overhead lights — a passenger must reach up to push the button to activate the light, as the button is not down by the seat — and a call button to summon a flight attendant. This unit can be potentially inconvenient to passengers who are — shall we say — challenged in terms of height.
This is the same exact overhead unit with which the airplane for my first flight with Frontier Airlines was equipped.
Plenty of room was available in the overhead storage bins — especially due to the aforementioned restrictions on bringing baggage and belongings aboard the airplane.
This flight had a moderate load of passengers. I never needed to use the lavatory on this flight; so I did not take photographs of it. I cannot imagine that it was anything special or different than the lavatories aboard most other airplanes.
The airplane landed early and safely at the airport; and the flight concluded uneventfully when the airplane pulled up to the stand. I returned to that stand — both times required a portable staircase — to board the flight to Sydney on my way to Cairns, which were my second flight and third flight as a passenger aboard airplanes that were operated by Jetstar Airways.
Final Boarding Call
Aside from a crying child during the last 30 minutes of one of those flights, all three flights were a pleasant experience.
Interestingly enough, I did not see any employee of Jetstar Airways checking the weight of any of the belongings that passengers brought aboard the airplanes. My experience suggests to me that the gate agents are not all that restrictive about the baggage allowance I might have been able to avoid the extra charge for the extra weight; but I had no idea and did not want to take the chance of being caught.
I did miss the days when Qantas Airways offered flights that were not expensive and included seat assignments and a meal with a beverage at no extra cost — but that eventually became unsustainable. Qantas Airways really did not have much of a choice in launching Jetstar Airways greater than 20 years ago due to the competitive threat that was then posed by Virgin Blue — which is now known as Virgin Australia and is an ultra-low-cost airline.
Jetstar Airways is a viable alternative to other airlines, in my opinion — and the experience felt more like a hybrid between an ultra-low-cost airline and a limited full service airline. Based on this experience, I recommend Jetstar Airways as a choice of airline to consider for basic transportation with few frills. I had nothing about which to complain pertaining to Jetstar Airways; and I would certainly consider flying as a passenger on this airline in the future. Although the process of booking a ticket can potentially be mildly annoying, virtually everything pertaining to these flights went well.
The only question is what happens when things go wrong, which thankfully did not occur with any of my flights…
All photographs ©2024 by Brian Cohen.
