Jetstar Airways review - by David Alexander

23 July 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Syd Melb Honolulu return. On time, new and clean aircraft (A330), reasonable space in economy, good entertainment pack and food there if you want it. Flights were on time and crew were friendly and efficient. Good value product - no complaints. I normally travel business class for work, but I would use this service again.

Jetstar Airways review - by Steve Conroy

13 July 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Brisbane-Newcastle/Williamtown return. Overall, a very efficient and professional operation. Typical of a low-cost carrier. Outbound flight was delayed due to a passenger failing to board, and having to off-load his baggage. However the aircraft are very new and exceptionally clean (unlike many Virgin Blue aircraft). The leather seats are comfortable, although standard seats (ie, non-exit rows) are less pitch than a QF economy seat. Crew very friendly, efficient and unobtrusive without any of the childish carrying-on and corny jokes from Virgin Blue. Inflight drinks and food are reasonably priced. A tip for new players - if you are among the first to check in, ask for the front row - it has unlimited leg room! The inflight audio is pleasant. However, my only criticism is that they didn't switch on the inflight audio until well into the flight - a bit of a nuisance if you purchased earphones.

Jetstar Airways review - by John Edwards

11 July 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

BNE-BKK Starclass. Including Biz class on Qantas BNE to MEL, (no access to the Qantas club in BNE. Access to Qantas club in MEL). Jetstar MEL - BKK, pre-selected an aisle seat some 5 months before the flight, advised 10 minutes before departure that I had been moved to a "middle" seat to accomodate a couple. I'm 6'4" and this was the nightmare of nightmares. Leg room is non-existant, and when the seatin front of me reclined (for 7 of the 9 hour flight) I was literally pinned into my seat. Seat width is fine, I didn't recline my seat, because I didn't want the poor bloke behind me to suffer (it wouldn't have improved my leg room anyway. Enthusiastic crew, yet the service still felt ordinary. Return leg BKK - MEL, I got to keep my aisle seat, and being able to extend my legs into the aisle a little made a big difference. Again I didn't recline because it's just not fair on the people behind. On departure almost all headphones were found to have flat batteries, so instead of the decent headsets we got the disposable ones. Jetstar domestic, and Jetstar Asia, are great value for money on short haul flights - no complaints about either of them.

Jetstar Airways review - by Martin George

11 July 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

HNL-MEL in Starclass. Check in staff at HNL were excellent. Starclass is more like premium economy than business, but the staff were attentive and seats comfortable. The meal was not bad, but inferior to Qantas Business class. An advantage of Starclass is that Qantas Frequent Flyers earn business class status credits. The late arrival in MEL meant that many people missed their connections; Jetstar staff were present in the baggage area to assist with problems and seemed to have the situation under fairly good control.

Jetstar Airways review - by Peter Schweizer

6 July 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Brisbane-Mackay return. Both flights on new and clean A 320 with great seat pitch as I managed to get the exit row which is a must with my 6'7" height. Ground staff quick and efficient. Crew on board hard working but had time for a smile and chat during this short 65 minute flight. Overall an excellent experience especially since airline introduced assigned seating which avoids the mad rush to the air craft.

Jetstar Airways review - by Roger Stone

25 June 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Melbourne to Hobart and pleasantly suprised with the quality. Despite negative comments surrounding Jetstar in the media I have never had a poor experience with Jetstar. This most recent flight was pleasant due to a 'chirpy' welcome and friendly service from flight attendants and cleanliness, quality and good seating arrangements on the apparently near-new A320. The flight departed and arrived on time and seemed a better overall experience than some Qantas flights I have taken recently.

Jetstar Airways review - by Darryl Fernando

25 June 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

SYD to HCM city (Vietnam). Economy class. Check in, boarding, departure and arrival was good. Nice refurbished cabin, although the leather seats were not really comfortable. The temperature was set too cold. Food was ok. Service was excellent, very nice flight attendants. Similar to Qantas service. In the end this is a low cost carrier, you get what you pay for. Jetstar is a lot better than Vietnam Airlines. Overall I give it 4/5 stars, very hard working staff and enjoyable flight. Fair enough Jetstar had problems with the aircrafts recently, but its good that they informed us about the problems.

Jetstar Airways review - by Marshall Davies

14 June 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Coolangatta to Melbourne on a Saturday evening flight with few, if any, empty seats. The aircraft was clean but seat pitch very tight. All staff were courteous and relatively efficient, although my wife and I (age 60+) were apparently invisible and in a sound-proof booth when trying to order from a young female flight attendant during the 'snack run'. Thankfully, the male attendant at the other end of the trolley seemed to have all his faculties and we were able to obtain a drink. For a slightly higher fare, the outward flight with Virgin was superior and I would only use Jetstar again on shorter flights and if the price differential was significantly better than Virgin.

Jetstar Airways review - by Marshall Davies

22 May 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

MEL-HBA-MEL and pleasantly surprised. Check-ins prompt & flights arrived early on both legs. The aircraft were clean & relatively comfortable, while the staff we dealt with were friendly, courteous and efficient. The seat pitch seemed to be about the same as Virgin Blue so any single sector in excess of 2 hours could be uncomfortable for us (both aged 60+). We'd happily fly with Jetstar again, however, on their shorter sectors

Jetstar Airways review - by Paul Harvey

9 May 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

SYD-Hobart return. Tickets were easy to book on the internet and good value. Flights left on time and arrived on time (despite being fullish). Plane was modern and clean. When compared with some European low cost carriers, it was a very pleasant surprise.

Jetstar Airways review - by D Weily

3 May 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Syd-hon Starclass, the flight was ok, the check in was a nightmare, they treat you like cattle, one passenger with breathing problems was forced to run as they made an announcement that anyone who did not arrive in 60 secs would miss the flight, I understand the need to be on time, but when the passenger arrived, short of breath the first thing that came out from the gate agent was "Are you fit to fly, I dont think you should be able to fly today" eventually the passenger was allowed to board. The seat was ok and for the price it was good. But the worst part was the food - not fit for an animal. I know its a budget airline and I am very easily pleased but this was the worst meal I ever looked at. The flight attendants were ok.

Jetstar Airways review - by Alan Hall

1 May 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Sydney to Denpassar Star Class. First time in star class and not terribly impressed. No priority baggage tabs at checkin, small point but it does make travel easier. Seats were comfortable although not much legroom and impossible to get out of without disturbing your neighbour if your in the window seat. Poor service from the male steward who seemed disinterested in the passengers although the female attendants were very good. Food was as economy class and was reasonable. No pre dinner drinks were offered although we had it with meals. Overall you have to wonder why you are paying what you are for not too much more than economy. Jetstar really need to lift their act if they want Star Class to be successful.

Jetstar Airways review - by K Chitoor

24 April 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

BKK-MEL : about 60% full and the A330 looked resplendent with its black and orange leather seats. On-time take-off and quite a comfortable journey. Amenity packs and meals are on a "pay-for-it-and-you-shall-get- it" basis and I reckon that is fair enough for a "lower cost carrier".

Jetstar Airways review - by Julie Wilson

20 April 2007   Customer Trip Rating : n/a

I have made several flights with Jetstar over the last few years and have found them to be quite a pleasant and efficient airline - so long as you know their rules and follow them, and I don't have a problem with this. My last flight however was delayed by several hours - although the announcements were made incrementally , ie every 20 minutes was an update that there would be a further delay. Others like myself approached the check-in desk to seek clarification and were 'compensated' with meal tickets for refreshments, but these were only given if you approached the desk - so this is just a tip for those who might be delayed.

Jetstar Airways - by Roger Stone
24 March 2007

Brisbane to Adelaide early last Sunday morning and experienced a very pleasant flight in an apparently near-new A320. The fare was quite low (cheaper than my motel bill the night before). Used the on-line check-in for seat 6F, surprised to see the entire row listed as having vacant seats. Unlike the distressing experience of some others on this site, I found my seat allocation honoured and was able to get some work done, even though the seat pitch was indeed limited. The cabin crew created a pleasant experience, especially for an early Sunday morning. Check-in was efficient, although I was somewhat early. I have never had a poor experience on Jetstar, except for some occasionally loutish fellow passengers on some flights taking advantage of cheap fares to use the money to buy more beer. I am always impressed with cabin crews who are able to maintain their professionalism when faced with such passengers and Jetstar seems to be capable in this regard.

Jetstar Airways - by V Carty
20 March 2007

Avalon - Sydney - Avalon Allocated seating via web booking an excellent to return to JetStar. Flight to Sydney as expected with good inflight service. Return flight our preallocated seat allocation was IGNORED and we were dumped to rear of the plane. Not good enough. No explanation. No apology. No reason. Just what you would expect from a 2 star airline from a third world country. Definitely well below the standard expected in a developed country such as Australia.

Jetstar Airways - by Paul Carroll
26 February 2007

Flights booked in UK on 27/7/06 - 3 internal flights: Brisbane- Melbourne, Melbourne-Hobart, Hobart-Sydney. Flight ne cancelled - no explanation. New flight - dumped at Avalon 22.30hrs, taxi the only transport available into Melbourne but at least we were notified. Flight two O.K. but very poor in all respects. Flight three - the clincher - cancelled, no notification and no reason given. Hobart airport deserted - found a Jet Star employee only 20mins. before departure time. No explanations given - duty manager refused to leave his office and speak with us. Eventually the four passengers plus all baggage were put in one taxi and taken to a sub-standard motel and put on an 06.20 flight to Sydney. No apologies or compensation ever received.

Jetstar Airways - by John Rocco
26 February 2007

My only complaint with Jetstar is their ridiculous policy of requiring travellers with children to check their baby pushers at the ticket counter with the rest of your baggage and not allowing them to be taken to the gate. This was especially anoying after a recent 14 hour journey from LAX to MEL when my wife and I were forced to carry a very tired 3 year old around the terminal for 2 hours while waiting for our flight to Launceston. If we were allowed to bring our pusher to the gate, our 3 year old would have been much more relaxed and saved her parents and other passengers from having to deal with her noisy restlessness after the long trip from LAX. Give us parents a break Jetstar and check-in baby pushers at the gate.

Jetstar Airways - by L Paul
19 February 2007

HNL-MEL-HNL Economy class. Booked to take advantage of very attractive introductory pricing and non-stop to Melbourne for the Australian Open Tennis Championships. Check-in agent in HNL spoke limited English, but there were no check-in problems at either end. Our pre-assigned seats were allocated. We were concerned about the low 7-kg (15lb) carry-on limit, but it did not seem to be strictly enforced. At each end, we could not get access to the gate waiting area until about 75 minutes before departure. Not a problem at MEL, but there was very limited alternate seating at HNL. The Airbus A330 was quite spiffy and clean, with nice leather seats. Australian cockpit crews did a very professional job of flying, with smooth rides and landings each way. Cabin crews appeared to be mostly Asian, except for one Australian who made the intercom announcements. Attendants were polite and attentive. Our pre-ordered meals were quite good, and the DigEPlayer entertainment boxes provided very welcome diversion for the long flights. The only real glitches were a 15-minute delay at the MEL gate after landing, waiting for someone to show up and operate the airbridge, and some initial confusion among the flight attendants about which passengers had pre-ordered meals, comfort kits, and entertainment. We were reminded that we were flying a budget airline, though, when the flight attendants required photo IDs as collateral for the loan of the DigEPlayers. Overall, our Jetstar flights were a positive experience at an attractive price.

Jetstar Airways - by D Walker
7 February 2007

CNS-BNE/BNE-CNS.Left on time from CNS with less then 40 people as everyone was on the DJ flight directly after ours left. Cabin service was fine and attentive with plenty of spare seats on the A320 aircraft. On my return flight cabin service was fine. Tip the menus are in the Jetstar mag at the back! All in all great flight, great price at just $79 each way. I can't understand why people don't fly with them? Better then DJ's cattle class and overacting FA'S!

Jetstar Airways - by Stuart Reay
7 February 2007

SYD-HKT-SYD - we were confirmed to fly in economy class in both directions but at check in at SYD we were asked if we wanted to upgrade to Star Class by paying AUD $200pp one way. We jumped at the chance for such a bargain price. This upgrade entitled us to Qantas club entry, free entertainment units on board as well as drinks and food on board. I have flown many times domestically with Jetstar and found them fine - but the crew on this international flight were amazing. Food was very edible and there was even a dessert trolley with fresh fruit, coffee, cakes etc which surpassed expectations especially given the cost of the upgrade. We asked on our departure from Phuket if it was again possible to upgrade and we paid the same again and were in Star Class. The seats are comfortable - leg room fairly limited (I am 6ft3) - but we found it a great way to finish the holiday - especially given the overnight flight HKT-SYD. The seats are almost identical to Qantas domestic business class seats. I wouldn't hesitate to always try and get this upgrade which apparently is available at check in to all Jetstar international destinations. For the extra cost of star class it is a great option.

Jetstar Airways - by Justin Flynn
5 February 2007

MEL-OOL-MEL. No menus in the seat pockets and no in-flight magazine. Check-in courteous and efficient. Drinks service is ordinary. Warm beer and plain-brand spirits (ie UDL instead of Bundaberg Rum). Cabin crew young and inexperienced. Has turned me off Jetstar although I have a MEL-LCN flight booked for April.

Jetstar Airways - by Louise McCarthy
1 February 2007

SYD-HNL-SYD. An interesting experience though not entirely negative. The secret - have low expectations and you won't be disappointed! As we were redeeming FF points for two passengers in our group, we had to fly Jetstar to Honolulu as Qantas would not redeem the points on any QF flights. The shape of things to come I suspect. We had pre-allocated our seats only to find that we were allocated other seats on check-in - so why the pre-allocation option, Jetstar? Seats were comfy, leg room adequate however following a 6.15pm departure, no meal was served until almost 9pm - a long wait for families with children especially. Crew looked confused and stressed trying to work out who had pre-paid for meals, video units etc. We had pre-paid but it didn't appear to make any difference. Another noteworthy point - you have to present and relinquish ID (in our case, drivers licenses) for the duration of the flight to cabin crew to obtain a portable video unit. We purchased comfort packs, meals and video units but also took a few snacks onboard. Food and beverages to purchase are not freely available during the flight - our 10 hour flight saw only two food services at each end of the flight, and these were the only opportunities to purchase. In flight menus were missing from seat pockets so we had no idea what was available anyway!! My verdict? A bit more spit & polish needed on the customer service side of things and internal processes like food and video distribution need to be streamlined - it looked very amateurish and obviously caused the passengers and crew frustration and frayed nerves! It's definitely a comfortable low cost option once these few bugs are ironed out.

Jetstar Airways - by Stuart Fazakerley
29 January 2007

MEL - MCY. Usually fly Virgin but Jetstar's outbound flight was much cheaper. Preallocated seat 4C, in the first row you can get without buying a JetFlex fare. Seats were very comfortable, albeit a bit narrow. Discounting exits rows, Jetstar's seat pitch is around 28", which is a bit hard to cope with for a 6'3" guy like myself. Regardless, the FAs were very attentive and professional. Hired an entertainment unit which is an excellent idea by Jetstar and well worth the $7. FA threw in a pair of headphones for my entire group of 6 when i hired one, which was a kind gesture. On arrival at MCY baggage retrieval was very quick. In short I would fly Jetstar again, but only if it was in an exit row, and only if substantially cheaper than Virgin.

Jetstar Airways - by Lin Hsu
26 January 2007

SYD-SGN yesterday. We were delayed leaving the airport but made up for the time in the air. The Economy section wasn't full and I had a window seat and aisle seat to myself, which was nice to stretch out in. Many of the other window seats seemed to be single travellers as well, and some of the middle aisle seats were empty as well. They handed out blankets and amenity packs to those who had pre-ordered. There was complimentary water for everyone. The flight temp was ok - I used a towel and fleece to keep warm for the flight to avoid the $9 blanket (I'd heard that it could be freezing, but temp was ok). The meal choices were chicken/rice, beef, or spinach-cheese pasta and it came with a small salad, a bread roll, and a small candy bar. Tea and coffee were packaged and juice choices were apple or orange. Near the end of the flight they also served a snack. For those on a budget, I'd recommend packing a lunch and snack. The staff were pleasant and smiling, but didn't understand me when I asked for a menu with prices (the one that should have been in the seat pocket - instead I had 3 guides for entertainment). I liked the adjustable headrests. Overall, agree that you get what you pay for.

Jetstar Airways - by James Christopher
26 January 2007

Melbourne - Launceston. Nice A320, much more space than the 737-800 Virgin flies on the route, aircraft seemed new. Spacious cabin, bright lights, and wonderful service. Clearly JetStar has a better, if not equally as good, product as Virgin Blue.

Jetstar Airways - by Peter Pomeranze
26 January 2007

Honolulu to Melbourne-Star Class. Anyone expecting a full business class will be disappointed however if you think premium economy your expectations will be more than met. A young and energetic crew served two decent meals as we sat in comfortable leather seats with a passable 36 inch pitch. Individual "digeplayers" were distributed for in seat entertainment. For the price this is excellent value. This fare is a fraction of business fares on Hawaiian or Qantas with several of the perks (including drinks, lounge access, etc) A welcome addition to the woefully inadequate service in and out of Honolulu!!

Jetstar Airways - by Peter Cash
21 January 2007

Cairns to Singapore. Was quite surprised by attitude of check-in staff at Cairns Airport. Gentleman who checked our bags needs to attend customer service programme. His handling of our check-in It is not what you expect of an international carrier. I have been a supporter of JetStar over the last two years but will review this. When will the powers-that-be realise that how important it is to have cheerful and smiling people on check-in. I an quite sure that on occssions like this, many people will have decided to use other carriers in the future. No complaints about the journey. The seating is a little cramped, but service by an all Asian crew was excellent and efficient. Food was has improved going by previous flights.

Jetstar Airways - by Reggie Cox
19 January 2007

Denpasar-Melbourne, Star Class. This was my first time flying with JetStar. Basically, Star Class is premium economy and is not up to normal business class standards (but then neither is the price). The good : moderately comfortable seats although a bit cramped, quality movie selection on complementary in-flight entertainment units, use of the Qantas club lounge, thorough safety procedures (compulsory bag search and frisk for every passenger at Denpasar). The bad: late departure, economy food, over-stretched and tired service staff, lack of room, shabby and disorganised boarding. In my opinion, JetStar Star Class comes between full service economy and business class. It's not a bargain but it does offer a little more comfort than normal economy and is a viable option for medium haul flights. Personally, I'll stick with Garuda J class.

Jetstar Airways - by Sally Robinson
19 January 2007

MEL-SYD-MEL. On first sight I did not think much of Avalon airport - once inside I was impressed. This airport has better facilities than some regional airports. Flight attendants were not overly friendly onboard, however flight on time, aircraft clean and snacks onboard were reasonably priced. Got there without a hitch and for an amazing price. I would much rather travel Jetstar than Qantas any day.

Jetstar Airways - by Robert Blamey
9 January 2007

My first and definitely last experience on Jetstar was on one of the introductory fares to Phuket. Onboard you get the seat and a set of flimsy earphones. The cabin was set to such a cold temperature that we were forced to buy a 'comfort pack' each to keep warm. It was not a full flight, so passengers moved to vacant seats as is normal on flights so as to stretch out. This caused confusion since items such as food, dvd players etc had been pre-ordered and passengers were not in designated seats. This prompted an announcement that passengers had to remain in assigned seating. Cabin crew were new and nervous and perhaps did not have sufficient training prior to the launch of international services. Overall service was average - long delays in getting drinks and food which was definitely not worth the additional cost. Overall it may be okay (just) on short flights but a 9 hour journey is a long time to get nothing on a plane except a half sized bottle of water. I was fortunate to have paid very little for this flight - If I was to pay the normal fare I would definitely pay a couple of hundred dollars more and fly a better airline. I will not fly Jetstar internationally again.

Jetstar Airways - by David Charlesworth
9 January 2007

Our first, and probably last experience with Jetstar. Melbourne to Newcastle. One check in desk open, no priority for QF frequent flyers/ Qantas club, but line moved quickly. At gate told we had to be there half an hour prior and they refused to take our 1 year old's baby pusher even though told otherwise by checkin. A group of several staff where very rude. Told to take pusher all the way back to check in even though flight was due for departure in 15 minutes, and check in was closed. The staff where very stressed and ultimately took the pusher as the process of removing our bags would have taken longer! We almost didn't fly as we just didn't have confidence in them as an airline prior to boarding - they didn't seem to know boarding procedure/processes. Once on board the very clean airbus A320 the inflight service was good. You had to pay for drinks/snacks but for the price ($160 for 2) I could accept that. Leg room was standard 30 in pitch. Would we fly again based on our experience? No. This is Qantas on the cheap, packaged to look funky with poorly trained staff. You can't earn frequent flyer points (unless you pay an outrageous fair) so if not Qantas I will fly with Virginblue. If Jetstar can't cope with families, and don't aim for the business traveller who is their target market?

Jetstar Airways - by Adrienne Smeeton
31 December 2006

Flew using Qantas FF points from Heathrow-Hong Kong-Sydney business class then had to wait 6.5 hours for connection to Launceston with Jetstar. Baggage weighed 22 kgs and was charged $14 excess for 2 kilos over 20kg. When I said that my flight had been ticketed by Qantas and had flown business class with 30kg allowance it was pointed out to me by the very rude check in operator that "I hadn't paid for my ticket anyway" I was not impressed with Jetstar even though I had flown with them on several occasions previously and will choose Virgin Blue in future.

Jetstar Airways - by Jenny Balajio
27 December 2006

Bali to Melbourne in Star Class. I was somewhat horrified to find even though I had booked through Qantas website this seat was worth less than Qantas economy - another story but suffice to say that many Brits thought they were on Qantas and were horrified to find themselves paying own food and movie on Jet Star and if they had booked this directly they would have saved half the price. I was at the front end - the seat and room is OK - pre departure beverage in a plastic cup tended to set the tone for the trip. I found the service slap dash, the meal was reminiscent of decades past and the toilet lacked the amenities normally provided in economy class. Overall I think Qantas economy does much better. If you want extra room book Star Class but don't expect anything else apart from a quicker check in and an airport lounge - incidently in Denpasar the lounge is the opposite end of the terminal to the departure gate. Jetstar is probably a good thing for the young and families yearning to get out into the world because of cost. A number of business folk on the flight said they would be investigating Garuda and I probably will be also. The non Australians thinking they were on a Qantas ticket were not impressed and Qantas should look at this issue as it has reflected badly on them.

Jetstar Airways - by Phil McConnelle
27 December 2006

Melbourne-Denpasar. We had purchased the ead-in” fares at $24 each (plus taxes) and at that level value for money was astronomical. Newly refurbished A330-200 with leather seats and standard 31inch pitch. Cabin felt light and airy. Pay for everything concept but free headsets for the cabin audio/video. Food a disappointment- the packaging is supposed to be elegant and trendy but it frankly doesn’t work. The card wrapping gets in the way and the plastic tray is too flimsy for comfort. Wine was innovatively packaged with a plastic glass acting as the closure. Cabin crew, mostly Asian based, were by any standards excellent. If a call button was pressed there was someone there immediately with a smile on their face. Chaos on arrival due to lack of immigration cards.

Jetstar Airways - by Geoff Hudson
27 December 2006

Adelaide-Sydney. Pleasantly surprised at cost on short notice booking. Comfortable leather seating, decent audio, acceptable food at a price. Took off on time, but delayed in holding pattern for about half an hour. Only complaint - the i-flight announcements from the flight deck were delivered so quickly it was almost impossible to understand.

Jetstar Airways - by Marc Juse
20 December 2006

Sydney-Phuket-Sydney Star Class. The planes are in the same configuration as Qantas Domestic A330's (seats, space, entertainment) with the added benefit of personal Video Units if you want them (extra cost obviously). The crew on both flights were attentive, friendly and available in the cabin. The food/drinks services do tend to take quite a while, but considering the time it takes to make the cash sales, thats excusable. In Star Class, the seats are comfortable enough (older style Qantas Business Class Seats), food /snacks and drinks more than plentiful, entertainment options on personal Video Units acceptable, although better quality Noise-Cancelling Headsets would be better. Overall, for much the same price as a Qantas Economy ticket, you can travel in Star Class in more comfort, with in my view much better service.