The truth about Jetstar International
 

Hi, has anyone out there travelled internationally with Jetstar yet? I have an opportunity to use some Frequent Flyer points for a trip within the US, but have to fly as a paid passenger part of the way....Qantas have suggested that I use a current special and fly Jetstar to Hawaii, thus using as few FF points as necessary. I just can't bring myself to do it, even though by not doing so I'll be spending around 20,000 extra points. Can anyone allay my fears? What's the go with meals, entertainment etc on the long haul flights?

Not long ago LizF posted her experience with JetStar - I tried to post the link to her thread, but had problems, so will post her comments instead:

"Firstly I left Australia on one of Jetstar's first flights to Honolulu and because it is a budget airline I was somewhat apprehensive about what to expect in terms of quality in comparison to normal aircraft services. May I congratulate Jetstar on the wonderful service, great food and friendly staff on that trip. Anyone contemplating what could be a great variation and easy trip to Australia have no fear that this is the way to go and come from the USA. If you are after a cheap flight then getting on Priceline or Expedia in the US for a return airfare from Hawaii to your home base in the USA then getting a return flight from Honolulu - Australia can make the price very attractive particularly if Jetstar are having a sale. Also the flight times make it an easier journey for those with the time and the wish for a stopover."

A note of warning.......there have been lots of reports in the media recently about stranded passengers on Jetstars International flights with flights delayed for many hours, even days and no assistance for stranded passengers. I've not flown then myself so can't comment on the service, but it is a budget airline and they don't seem to handle looking after customers when there are delays at all well.

We flew Jetstar from Sydney to Christchurch and have absolutely no complaints. It was much better than any flight on a US airline...

Re the Post: "A note of warning....... "

Strange that I haven't seen any of those "lots of reports..."

I personally have not flown with Jetstar International, but know people who have. They all were happy with the services.
I have flown with Jetstar within Australia and have no complaints whatever.

Cheers,
Mike

I've flown the Bangkok-Singapore route a number of times with JetStar Asia, new planes, on-time.

I have travelled Jetstar from Melbourne to Honolulu.I had a lot of trouble with service staff member,got wrong,type of ticket.Changed it weeks later after found it was wrong.Had to pay more.Plane left 40mins lateinterviewed other passengers always leaves late,staff have to sell food,balance money,take abuse from passengers all because of policy of airline.they even want to charge you for hot water if you choose to take your own noodles.On return flight 5 hours late not their fault(mechanical)Only 1 hr fault of theirs.Some passengers were on round world flight with Qantas they fobbed them on to Jetstar and had to pay for extras,as some frequent flyers with Qantas.Passengers had to get taxi(at their expense from International terminal at Sydney to
Domestic because shuttle had stopped for night(5 hrs late)Jetstar is responsible to get passengers from one to other.Fly with someone different,they are not really that much cheaper-food $30,video$10,pillow&blanket$10 each way.

I don't know what the value of 20,000 FF points is, cos as venice52 says you do have to pay extra for stuff that comes free with a full price airline.

Having said that - legroom was OK, plane was new, staff friendly. I flew return Sydney to HCMC (a 9 hour flight); bought a few cups of coffee; and a snack box on the way back (perfectly adequate if you don't eat much); skipped the other charges. Delighted to be able to travel at such a discount (thought admit is was a special "special"!).

You could give them a go, and then you'd know for the future if they suit you or not.

Cheers.

Flew Sydney-Denpasar-Sydney with them, no complaints. The flights were on time, staff pleasant and efficient. Didn't bother with their food - we ate shortly before departure each way and just took a snack on board.

I've flown Jetstar to Christchurch.

Flight was OK. New planes, legroom OK for short flight. Took my own snack - the food available looked diabolical!

My main whinge was that I was travelling using FF points, and it's the same number of points using either Qantas or Jetstar. As Qantas is a full service airline, I felt this was unfair.

I think Qantas is channelling Frequent Flyers as much as possible through Jetstar. I had no Qantas option at any time.

We flew Jetstar from Honolulu to Sydney (10.5 hours) in late September last year and were pleasantly surprised by the new aircraft with more legroom, the inflight entertainment, and the very friendly cabin crew.

We were also utilizing Qantas FF points for rtw OneWorld tickets, and had been warned by booking staff in Sydney that although the flight was designated Qantas (QF386) it was operated by Jetstar, so ‘no frills’. We have often flown Jetstar domestically so knew what to expect. New aircraft, friendly, cheerful no-frills cabin crew in orange T-shirts and shorts – and the need to buy food/drink and extras.

We were <i>very</i> surprised when a clip-board bearing ‘surfie’ approached us and said our names were on the list as Qantas passengers, so all our meals/drinks were free! The food was very good for airline meals, especially with the added ‘free’ spice, ;)

Flight left on time and actually arrived 15 minutes early.

In our rtw travels, we also flew SAS, AmericanAirlines, Qantas - and Jetstar had no problems comparing favourably with all of the above. We would not hesitate to fly Jetstar again. However ....

OzMike, the stories of the Jetstar passengers stranded at Honolulu in April ’07 was headline news on both TV bulletins and print media, for example
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599...35-421,00.html
and later in June at HCVMC Vietnam http://www.smh.com.au/news/travel/jetstar-passengers-

But still, snafus occur regularly with <b>all</b> airlines, so we didn’t consider changing our HNL-SYD airline in spite of the above occurrences – just prepared ourselves for a possible “two day stranded” extension in Honolulu .... and crikey, where better?

Jackie

Your choice, Margot, whether to spend your FF flyer points or not.

You should have held out for a Qantas flight if it's that important to you. Food looked &quot;diabolical&quot; - I don't think so, though as I said I only bought a snack box on the way back - on the way to HCMC I took home made sandwiches. I mean, how much food do you need to consume during 9 hours if you have eaten before boarding and it's a night flight?

What were you expecting? caviare?

I flew with Jetstar Asia from Hong Kong to Singapore. This was a three hour flight. We were bussed out to the plane and had to walk up stairs but so what! The seats were leather (imitation) and all one class. Seating was allocated. The pilot was Australian (which I considered a bonus). I didn't eat the food but did buy a soft drink and while there was no in-flight entertainment, I had a book and my ipod so I was happy. One thing I did note was that because most of the passengers were Asian and not as tall as I am, I didn't have to contend with a seat pushed back immediately after take-off. As a result the seating was spacious and comfortable. The flight left and arrived on time. At $130A one way, I would very happily recommend Jetstar and will use them again.

Mac123

afterall

I was only going IF I could use my FF points - to a friend's big birthday do. Funds were not too flush.

Qantas, at that time, was not offering any Qantas flights to CHC using points, only Jetstar. The Qantas FF scheme is pretty crummy.

And the food was diabolical - the passengers next to me ordered some, dry, curled up at the edges, unidentifiable, and inedible.

I may be looking to go later this year - I wonder if Jetstar only is still the policy?

margo, it sounds like they were using Vietnam Airlines' domestic routes caterer.