Are Jetstar really that bad??

[FishFood]

Maybe I'm very lucky but I've been quite happy with Jetstar when I fly with them. I usually fly with a max bundle for SCs but enjoy the extra legroom seats and food included

 

[Cruiser Elite]

I have flown JQ multiple times post Covid and maybe been lucky but all flts have been nigh on perfect for a LCC. Indeed we are off again MEL-DPS in J Sep 2 and it will be what it is.

I honestly think some posters on AFF hold the view that if they post negative references to J* it will somehow impress others here or embolden their standing in the AFF community.

JQ is a LCC - if you understand that from the get go then you will receive what you pay for and be prepared accept it. It ain’t nowhere near as bad as some here make it out to be - IMHO of course and clearly YMMV.

 

[Duffa]

I have flown JQ multiple times post Covid and maybe been lucky but all flts have been nigh on perfect for a LCC. Indeed we are off again MEL-DPS in J Sep 2 and it will be what it is.

I honestly think some posters on AFF hold the view that if they post negative references to J* it will somehow impress others here or embolden their standing in the AFF community.

JQ is a LCC - if you understand that from the get go then you will receive what you pay for and be prepared accept it. It ain’t nowhere near as bad as some here make it out to be - IMHO of course and clearly YMMV.

I refer the honourable member to my previous answer.
Have flown J* in J on 2 occasions and all went well. On time departures. Very enjoyable. I think the product is absolutely fine for the price.
BUT
In March, we had multiple family visitors to Oz, taking side-trips after @Risotto93 wedding and 50% of those were either significantly delayed or cancelled altogether! Needless to say, the Europeans were using swearwords like "Vueling" and "Easyjet"
As always YMMV....

 

[RooFlyer]

Well, I've just swallowed very hard and booked JQ from DPS->BNE. My first flight on them for maybe 15 years. I mean, Bali; Jetstar; what could possibly go wrong?

In my defence, I wasn't the main decision maker and if they cancel & get me stuck in Bali for a few days I wouldn't mind.

 

[kpc]

I just booked Syd-Lst return at King's birthday long WE next year for 2 pax for $116!

 

[Cruiser Elite]

I just booked Syd-Lst return at King's birthday long WE next year for 2 pax for $116!

Yep and I have booked 2 x pax Y MEL-BQB May 22, 2024 - $255ea the highest max extra pox bundle or whatever they call it - FFS that is cheap - - JQ is a LCC - cough could happen - but the sun will come up tomorrow

 

[pauly7]

I have flown JQ multiple times post Covid and maybe been lucky but all flts have been nigh on perfect for a LCC. Indeed we are off again MEL-DPS in J Sep 2 and it will be what it is.

I honestly think some posters on AFF hold the view that if they post negative references to J* it will somehow impress others here or embolden their standing in the AFF community.

JQ is a LCC - if you understand that from the get go then you will receive what you pay for and be prepared accept it. It ain’t nowhere near as bad as some here make it out to be - IMHO of course and clearly YMMV.

I tend to agree.

They are fit for purpose, and with Rex, Jetstar and Virgin increasingly blurring into one from a market segment perspective, Jetstar is still priced extremely sharply and if as you say you manage your expectations then it can work for people at the right time / place / occasion.

Would I fly Jetstar for business/work? Absolutely not. But Virgin are even less reliable than Jetstar at the moment and Rex don’t have the frequencies (yet) so if you are choosing between the 3 low/ultra low cost carriers then it’s a trade off at the moment!

 

[elanshin]

Basically the way I see JQ (and how I booked our flights over the last 12 months). If I must arrive at my destination by X Day but can't depart any later, I'm finding the most reliable option or through a hub that I can hop on any other flight from other carriers albeit at a cost.

If I don't care about timing other than being inconvenienced, then JQ is on the cards especially with some of the crazy SC/$ earn rates available on some segments.

That said, while I've had some reasonable flights, I have only been on 1 flight that departed on time in the last 12 month. Most however were within the hour and I got to where I needed so nothing crazy in my books. Only 1 cancellation for MEL > SYD which i just decided to get my refund and hop on a VA flight instead.

 

[dajop]

My last JQ flight, MEL-SIN, JQ7, pushed back 3 mins early. Of course, I can't depart on JQ7 without an obligatory hour plus wait on the tarmac at MEL, and we had to return to the gate and were then delayed whilst engineers attended to a warning indictator for one of the engines. So we ended up pushing back again about 1.5 hrs later. I took comfort from the fact that QF35, which was supposed to depart 5 mins before us, still did depart 5 mins before us, it also turned out to be 1.5 hrs late... although it flew quite a bit faster to SIN, and got in before the storms forced us to do a couple of laps of Batam ...

 

[justinbrett]

For a short domestic Y flight, I actually really like JQ once onboard. If you get the bundle you can get row 1 and some free food & drinks.

It's everything else I don't like.

 

[wandering_fred]

I have no idea how future performance will come to pass, but PER-DPS or return has at least been approximately on time. The on budget varies a bit, but the MAX fares are a relatively inexpensive way to earn QFF SCs.
And international tickets exDPS are generally less expensive than originating in PER.
Next point of observation will be late September

Though some day I suspect I will lose the need to be wandering
Fred

 

[kangarooflyer88]

I have no idea how future performance will come to pass, but PER-DPS or return has at least been approximately on time. The on budget varies a bit, but the MAX fares are a relatively inexpensive way to earn QFF SCs.

A major benefit of booking JQ are the cancellations and schedule changes which allow you to do a lot more wandering for the same price. Last year I flew JQ from SYD to DRW on a MAX fare which would ordinarily earn 80 SCs. However, the return flight was cancelled and I chose a connecting flight via ADL which meant I ultimately earned 100 SCs on that trip. Plus a visit to arguably the best domestic lounge on the QF network: ADL.

Keep wandering, mate!

-RooFlyer88

 

[RooFlyer]

PER-DPS or return has at least been approximately on time.

The Flighty app tells me that my upcoming DPS-BNE flight isn't so lucky!

 

[clifford]

A major benefit of booking JQ are the cancellations and schedule changes which allow you to do a lot more wandering for the same price. Last year I flew JQ from SYD to DRW on a MAX fare which would ordinarily earn 80 SCs. However, the return flight was cancelled and I chose a connecting flight via ADL which meant I ultimately earned 100 SCs on that trip. Plus a visit to arguably the best domestic lounge on the QF network: ADL.

Yes, but.

I had a MEL-SIN booking in business that was cancelled and they rebooked me (automatically) MEL-BKK-SIN, which I was quite happy with. In fact, it was a long overnight in BKK, so I booked a hotel.

Well, what do you think happened next? There was another flight cancellation and I was rebooked MEL-DPS-SIN (with DPS-SIN in Y and a long and expensive layover in DPS that I didn't want - who wants to pay for a transfer in Indonesia?). So I asked them to change it back to MEL-SIN which had become available.

A comedy of errors really, and I'm not confident my flight in November will actually happen.

 

[Bundy Bear]

The Flighty app tells me that my upcoming DPS-BNE flight isn't so lucky!

View attachment 340894

Flighty app?? my next booking is likely on Jetstar where can I find that out

 

[RooFlyer]

Flighty app?? my next booking is likely on Jetstar where can I find that out

See here

Flighty app

Does anyone use the Flighty app? Is it worth the $79/year subscription fee? It looks like it would do a pretty good job of tracking your flights, including notifying you of delays before the airline does. I also like the feature where it saves a history of your past flights, including the...

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

Not sure how much you can see without a subscription. To get the info I posted, you have to enter it as a future flight, but there may be a way just to interrogate. You might like to ask on that thread.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

And still JQ deliver a satisfactory product for us. JQ43 pushed back 6 mins early today at 09:29 today and arrived 16 mins early. Their alleged J product doesn’t set the world on fire but JQ offer direct mid daytime flts MEL-DPS/DPS-MEL which is a huge bonus.

F & B offerings are LCC standard but you know that going in so no surprise there. CSM today Josie and her sidekick Astrid in J cabin afforded us sensational service today - what a lovely pair of young women

Given flight timings and our experience on this route it is a no-brained for us - clearly YMMV

 

[elanshin]

I had my first JQ flight push back ahead if schedule.

Then followed by the typical 30-45min delay the next day.

But as I'm SC earning atm, I'll fly JQ sometimes for the right price with Max bundle. I feel like theres very few ppl that use the max bundle though. I've hardly seen anyone else be offered the meal vouchers.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

I had my first JQ flight push back ahead if schedule.

Then followed by the typical 30-45min delay the next day.

Delays, schedule changes and cancellations are a compelling reason to book JQ. I'm flying with them in 2 weeks back from DRW and pray that my flight gets cancelled. That way instead of earning 40 SCs (on my non-stop MAX fare), I can choose a routing where I connect through ADL or MEL and earn 60 SCs (thereby allowing me to earn Platinum status before my next big international trip). That and the possibility of getting a free hotel and meals on JQ's dime.

But as I'm SC earning atm, I'll fly JQ sometimes for the right price with Max bundle. I feel like theres very few ppl that use the max bundle though. I've hardly seen anyone else be offered the meal vouchers.

JQ can be a very effective way of earning status credits on the cheap. During mid to late 2021 I booked a ton of MAX fare flights on JQ for next to nothing (i.e. SYD to DRW for $340 return on MAX which earns 80 SCs). I would also agree from my observation that most people aren't buying the MAX fare. But I reckoned a big part of that is if you are looking for the cheapest fare, the MAX fare ain't it. The only people who really care about MAX fares are those chasing status. After all, I don't think anyone is looking forward to the catering on JQ (i.e. ham & cheese toastie and Pepsi Max). For international flights, sometimes the Plus fare can be attractive when there's a sale. Case in point I booked SYD > HNL on a Plus fare for $500 return which netted me 70 status credits (plus a trip to the QFi Business lounge at SYD and QF lounge operated by Delta Airlines at HNL).

-RooFlyer88

 

[RooFlyer]

Given flight timings and our experience on this route it is a no-brained for us - clearly YM

I chose JQ for the very first time DPS-BNE because of the day timing. Now, I know from Flighty app that its late 84% of the time, 56% more than 30 mins, but hey, life's an adventure (he never said before!!)

But as I'm SC earning atm, I'll fly JQ sometimes for the right price with Max bundle. I feel like theres very few ppl that use the max bundle though. I've hardly seen anyone else be offered the meal vouchers.

Chose the J max bundle. No brainer.