Is JetStarAsia an OK airline?
 

Is JetStarAsia an OK airline? I am considering using them to fly Siem Reap-Sin-DPS...There was a good review of them in Conde Naste Traveller recently, but I would be interested if any Fodorites have flown with them.

don't know them, but remember the recent problems reported by fodorites with other discount airlines....my feeling is that why set yourself up for a possible problem with an airline that might be delayed or cancel flights....i stick to the tried and true ones....

you might see what eddie can do for you at sea tours

[email protected]

they are an american express agency....i have had great results with him....he saved me 50% on my DPS flight from bkk on thai air....i did not know that anyone besides bkk air flew into SR and maybe the cambodian airline??

Cruisinred, Conde Nast also gave good reviews for Air Asia and you know how I feel about them!

Cruisinred,
I'm flying Jetstar Asia one way from Denpasar to Singapore on March 20th so I'll let you know what I think when I get back.

One question I would have is on the route SR-SIN-DPS can you check your luggage through or is this two tickets SR-SIN then SIN-DPS? This is VERY important because I think Jetstar Asia and others may, like the European low cost carriers, offer point to point service...this means you have two tickets and not one.

You have to pick up your bags and recheck them...most importantly if one flight is delayed and you miss the next one the airline does NOT take responsibility because these are two seperate itineraries.

In Europe this is the cost of the budget carriers and it means you have to take a chance AND leave lots of time/or an overnight between flights.

However, I was happy booking on Jetstar Asia because as I understand it they're affiliated with the Australian airline Jetstar which is associated with Qantus. Rather like taking Virgin Blue.

Of course this still means you have the non refundable tickets and limited routes/flight times but I'm sure it's more reliable than some of the (domestic)Indonesian discounters that have been mentioned here lately.

Re Air Asia and othere discounters including the European ones...I think if everything goes well they're fine but it's when things go wrong that you don't have the safety net or efficiency of a full service airline.These airlines have much more limited services than any of their US lowcost comparisons...eg point to point flights etc.

Thus eveyone loves Ryanair UNTIL they miss a flight because of them! However, we used Tiger Airways last year and had no problem, good service and a new plane.

It was worth it to us because of the enormous cost differential and the ease of a one way ticket Phuket-Sin. I combined an open jaw ff flight on ThaiAirlines (using 20,000 United miles) SIN-Chiang Rai, Chiang Rai-Krabi with the Tiger Air one way back to Singapore. Because I was booking at the last minute (as usual!)the flights were very expensive and this was both the cheapest and most flexible option.

We left enough slack in the itinerary to accomodate any delays.For example when flying a low cost carrier I prefer not to take the final flight of the day.

There are differences between these airlines for example EasyJet in Europe is far more responsive to their customers than Ryan Air in terms of accomodating them during a delay- I speak from experience here! The question is what are the differences and which are the best of the low cost Asian airlines?

Hope this helps!

Thanks everyone.
My options on this route (SR-Bali) are to connect back through BKK...which I don't want to do...or connect through Sin using Singapore Air (too $$). Air Asia and JetStar are both possibilities. It would be 2 seperate tickets on JetStar with a 5.5 hour connection in Sin. Perhaps enough time to run into the city for a drink at Raffles, or if the flight is delayed just kill sometime at the airport.
As you pointed out WTB, the potential cost savings of several hundred $ is enough to make me take my chances.

I can think of many worse things than spending 5.5 hours in Changi! There is free internet, good food outlets, good shopping, and we found a great place that does foot massage and pedicures.

Jet Star is a subsidiary of Qantas so hopefully at the least they have some sort of back up. They are far less strict about luggage - 20kg allowance and seats are allocated but still a bit less room as are all the cheaper aircraft.

Its not as cheap as Air Asia but hopefully is a lot better!