If you’re flying from Australia to Bali, there’s a great chance you’ll be on a Jetstar flight. Of the 221 weekly return flights from Australia to the Island of the Gods, 82 are on Jetstar, which flies there from seven cities across Australia.

Qantas’ budget arm flies a mix of Airbus A320, Airbus A321neo LR and Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner planes to Bali. However, over the past year Jetstar has drastically reduced the number of Boeing 787s flying to Bali down to just one daily flight from Melbourne and three weekly from Sydney. The Boeing 787 is Jetstar’s only plane with Business Class.

The majority of Jetstar’s flights to Bali from Sydney and Melbourne, as well as all flights from Adelaide and Brisbane, are now on the Airbus A321neo LR, a new addition to Jetstar’s fleet. Jetstar also uses the A321neo LR on some domestic routes, as well as to overseas destinations like Rarotonga.

Jetstar has espoused a much improved passenger experience on these modern jets, while only equipping them with Economy Class seats. So, does it live up to the hype?

Join me as I review the Jetstar A321neo LR Economy Class seat and service, flying from Sydney to the most popular overseas destination for Australians.

Flight Details

Flight number	JQ37
Route	Sydney (SYD) to Denpasar/Bali (DPS)
Aircraft type	Airbus A321neo LR
Class of travel	Economy
Seat number	13A
On-time performance	We arrived on time
Star rating

The route

Flight Cost

The base fare was $329, although as usual for Jetstar flights, this only included a 7kg carry on bag. I added a Plus bundle for $71, giving me the following inclusions:

• 20kg checked luggage
• Standard seat selection
• Ability to change flights (plus fare difference)
• One meal of choice
• 3,900 Qantas points (actually 7,800 thanks to a 100% boost from my Qantas Platinum status) + 40 status credits.

You can buy the inclusions separately, although the only way to earn Qantas points and status credits is by purchasing a bundle. Jetstar’s fare bundles are a popular and cost-effective way to earn Qantas status credits.

Since I took this flight, Jetstar has changed its fare bundles.

You can also use redeem your Qantas points for Jetstar flights. A Classic Reward seat from Sydney to Bali costs 18,000 Qantas points and ~$136 in taxes & carrier charges. When flying on a Jetstar international Classic Reward, you get 30kg of checked luggage and standard seat selection.

Airport Experience

I arrived at the airport when Jetstar opened check-in around three hours before departure to find many people already queueing up.

It took about 30 minutes to check in, as at exactly 1.45pm most of the check-in agents went on break. While checking in, they weighed and tagged my carry-on.

Surprisingly, there was zero line whatsoever at security.

Lounge access is not a standard inclusion with a Jetstar Economy ticket. But eligible Qantas Frequent Flyers can use the Qantas lounges when flying Jetstar. Thanks to my Qantas Platinum status, I jumped into the Qantas First Lounge for a quick bite to eat.

If you had Qantas Gold status or a Qantas Club membership, you could access the Qantas Business Lounge prior to international Jetstar flights. Of course, since Jetstar Economy Class tickets don’t normally include Qantas First Lounge access, this does not affect my review rating.

I left the lounge a bit early for the 10-minute walk over to gate 63, where JQ37 would be departing. The seating in Pier C isn’t the most plentiful, but actually quite comfortable, with some food outlets as well. To be perfectly honest, I don’t think Sydney is the most special airport, but it’s reasonably comfortable if you’re able to find a good place to sit.

Boarding commenced 50 minutes prior to departure. Jetstar invited passengers requiring assistance first, followed by families with young children and then general boarding.

There was surprisingly no line-up when I arrived at the gate, as boarding had commenced so early. Despite this, it still took around 40 minutes to finish boarding, leading to a late take-off.

The Hard Product

Jetstar’s Airbus A321neo LR has 232 Economy Class seats arranged in a standard 3-3 configuration, with only exit row and bulkhead seats having extra legroom.

Each seat is around 17.7 inches wide and the seat pitch (the distance between seats) is 29 inches, resulting in below average legroom.

Legroom was definitely tight, especially if you wanted to use the seatback storage pocket. The slimline seats have completely plastic backs, causing the net to extend into your precious knee-room.

A further note about the netting – there’s no protections on the sides. Be careful about storing things like passports, phones or earbuds, as they can slip out the sides quite easily – a quick way to ruin a trip!

The seats themselves are modern – part of the new generation of Recaro Economy seats – and the legroom is a bit better than on Jetstar’s older Airbus A320 aircraft. However, the seat had no padding whatsoever – if you don’t fit the contours of the seat, it’s very difficult to get comfortable. The seat did recline a little, but I still felt propped up.

One great thing about the A321neo LR is the large overhead bins. This meant there was enough space for everyone’s carry-on baggage.

The Jetstar A321neo LR does not have seatback entertainment screens, but you can connect to the Jetstar entertainment system via your phone. This is pay-per-use, with the following pricing plans (for the entire flight):

I personally didn’t purchase entertainment, but the selection seemed OK for a medium-haul flight. You’d probably run through the majority of selections quickly if you’re a regular Jetstar traveller.

There was a USB-A port on the back of the seat in front for charging devices, as well as a phone holder that was surprisingly solid.

The device holder might be a little small for tablets though, and as the seat in front is quite close to you, it doesn’t leave much space to place it on the tray table.

Unfortunately, there are only three toilets onboard the 232-seat Airbus. Naturally, this led to near-constant lines. From takeoff onwards, there was a constant shuffling of people throughout the cabin.

I’ve flown on this aircraft before between Melbourne and Sydney, and it was decent enough for the short hop. However, on this longer route, I definitely felt the seat’s lack of comfort, with the legroom and rigidity of the seat especially noticeable.

The Soft Product

As is standard on a low-cost carrier, virtually everything on board is for purchase. The only exception to this is water, which you can request for free.

My Plus bundle included either a meal or a $15 credit. Jetstar recently updated their menus, which you can find on their website.

Jetstar serves pre-ordered meals about 1 hour after take-off, despite some passengers’ best efforts to get it later.

I gave the vegetable teriyaki noodles a go. The meal doesn’t include any drinks beyond the complimentary offering, so it was accompanied with a cup of water.

Unfortunately, it was one of the blandest meals I’ve had in the sky. The reheated meal turned to mush, and the teriyaki sauce had no flavour. I sure miss Jetstar’s butter chicken now!

I think it’s a pretty poor showing when this and a selection of high school canteen meals are the only hot options available on a flight of more than six hours. Still, it’s about on-par with what Virgin Australia sells on its flights to Bali.

Amenity kits and other items such as model aircraft were also available for purchase.

The crew were efficient, but also polite and helpful when required. Most, if not all, of the crew appeared to be based outside of Australia, although they spoke English fluently.

Apart from the meal service, the crew did come through again towards the end of the flight with another drink service. They were also on hand to take any meal requests throughout the flight, until about one hour prior to landing.

Wilson McTaggart

Wilson's love of travel started from a young age, but his love for points developed after figuring out ways to travel on a gap year for less - leading naturally towards Australian Frequent Flyer! Wilson's hobbies include skiing, cricket and planning trips, both with and without points.

Wilson posts on the AFF forum as @WilsonM.