JetStar - exceeds expectations time and time again... another quality Qantas product

[munitalP]

Two years ago there's no way known I would admit this, even one year ago but I like Jetstar. Ok - I'll point out that this statement is based on short haul flights only but in my opinion (and those who know me know whats coming next...), Virgin Blue can't lay a finger on Jetstar for a quality product. I can't comment on Tiger.

Before I go too far, heres my recent JQ flights - please note they are ALL JetFlex and on one occasion *Class... I choose to fly JetStar presently because my airport to home or visaversa travel time is halved, and I am saving the company $$$ by having Mrs! drop me at AVV and pick me up (it fits well into her work schedule). I have done about half the number of QF flights as JQ flights in the same period.

01. Nov 02 JQ882 BNE/MKY JETFLEX SC 20
02. Nov 02 JQ889 MKY/BNE JETFLEX SC 20
03. Nov 06 JQ604 AVV/SYD JETFLEX SC 20
04. Nov 06 JQ625 SYD/AVV JETFLEX SC 20
05. Nov 13 JQ624 AVV/SYD JETFLEX SC 20
06. Nov 22 JQ035 SYD/MEL *Class SC 40
07. Nov 28 JQ623 SYD/AVV JETFLEX SC 20
08. Dec 05 JQ625 AVV/SYD JETFLEX SC 20
09. Dec 24 JQ623 AVV/SYD JETFLEX SC 20
10. Jan 02 JQ604 AVV/SYD JETFLEX SC 20
11. Jan 02 JQ625 SYD/AVV JETFLEX SC 20
12. Jan 06 JQ630 AVV/BNE JETFLEX SC 30
13. Jan 08 JQ819 BNE/SYD JETFLEX SC 20
14. Jan 09 JQ623 SYD/AVV JETFLEX SC 20
15. Jan 11 JQ626 AVV/SYD JETFLEX SC 20

OK, I think I am qualified to pass comment... :shock:

Pros

On time departures - common
Cabin service
Seating choice (usually take row 1 or an exit row)
Easy flight changes
Newer planes
Pilots who land the aircraft, not slam it into the ground (DJ)
SC's and FF points
Fast turn around and small crowds (especially AVV )
No J to waste my $$$ on

Cons

Nothing's free (it is a LCC, to be expected)
Seat pitch seems to be less than DJ
Seat bum area seems smaller than DJ
No entertainment on short flights
Food selection lacking
No J to waste my $$$ on

OK, I'm sure there's more and I'm sure I'm going to be told.

Mr!

 

[oz_mark]

Re: JetStar - exceeds expectations time and time again... another quality Qantas prod

Generally I don't mind JQ, but that Jaspar coffee they sell onboard is cough.

Now if they would just give SC/FFP on the lesser fares.....


As for landings, I thought slamming the plane onto the ground was the province of Qantas 767 pilots

 

[Evan]

Re: JetStar - exceeds expectations time and time again... another quality Qantas prod

As for landings, I thought slamming the plane onto the ground was the province of Qantas 767 pilots

I cant be raciest (I just dont want to single anybody out but these guys are amazing) but lets just say you have to fly some of the Asian airlines to know what a hard landing is !
And not i don't mean CX or SQ, i was thinking a little further north and not JL either.

If you want smooth landings you need to find pilots that need to put down on ice/snow strips like in Russia. huh, what did i just land ??
I would have guess grass strips in Australia would have also been good training.

Back OT !
AVV is a pain in the you know what for those on the other side of Melbourne, and i like my QP still i dont mind the JQ services even though i dont fly them that often 3 or 4 times a year in the last couple of years.

E

 

[Saab34]

Re: JetStar - exceeds expectations time and time again... another quality Qantas prod

I cant be raciest (I just dont want to single anybody out but these guys are amazing) but lets just say you have to fly some of the Asian airlines to know what a hard landing is !
And not i don't mean CX or SQ, i was thinking a little further north and not JL either.

You want hard, head to AirAsia. You even get tailstrikes thrown in..happened on many occasions.

 

[Dave Noble]

Re: JetStar - exceeds expectations time and time again... another quality Qantas prod

As far as exceeding expectations frequently... have your expectations not changed based on past performance so as to make it unlikely that they can keep exceeding them?

Dave

 

[Commuter]

Re: JetStar - exceeds expectations time and time again... another quality Qantas prod

I would have guess grass strips in Australia would have also been good training.

I found landing on grass strips to be less prone to dodgy landings!

 

[AlphaVictor]

Re: JetStar - exceeds expectations time and time again... another quality Qantas prod

I thought I'd never see an unpaid comment such as the original post. (whispers - "there's no place like home, there's no place like home, click, click click)

In my experiences with Jetstar I only have one word, "sufficient". Which in a 10 point survey basis, usually lands em around 4.

I'm sure there is no arguement when I say that their rez system and online booking system are perhaps the cheapest and most prone to crashing as I've ever experienced anywhere in any industry. Fix this and I'll award a "quite sufficient"

 

[Platy]

Re: JetStar - exceeds expectations time and time again... another quality Qantas prod

I choose to fly JetStar presently because my airport to home or visaversa travel time is halved, and I am saving the company $$$ by having Mrs! drop me at AVV and pick me up

Glad to hear you are happy! If I read your post correctly, it's the airport location, which is the deciding factor in choosing JQ over the alternatives?

 

[Evan]

Re: JetStar - exceeds expectations time and time again... another quality Qantas prod

If a service is ok then location is often the deciding factor, but if the service is cough then you will go out of your way to avoid it i would think, i know i do.
Still on-time performance probably makes it bit more than ok.
E

 

[markis10]

Re: JetStar - exceeds expectations time and time again... another quality Qantas prod

I am not surprised that you are happy with JQ being AVV based - I would be interested to hear from those on the Sunshine or Gold Coasts who would find similar advantages and conditions.


As for landings, I would take a hard landing thats within the design limits of the aircraft any day over a floater, or bounce job!

 

[dajop]

Re: JetStar - exceeds expectations time and time again... another quality Qantas prod

I can fully understand MunitalP's viewpoint. For point to point travel I think Jetstar are perfectly adequate option, and in my very limited experience have been a professional operation and would far exceed travelling short haul Y on legacy carriers in many parts of the world.

I think many people are still a little aggrieved by the handing over of routes to JQ, and the loss of SC/points earning opportunities on lower fares, and more importantly the loss of connectivity to other parts of the QF network. That to me is the biggest problem with JQ, but for point to point travel it doesn't really matter.

And as for the AVV strategy - I cannot understand why anyone would have a problem with this. It is not a substitution strategy (like many JQ routes) but a new market altogether, and therefore would not negatively impact anyone. Between QF & DJ there are 60+ flights a day in each direction between MEL/SYD, so that's plenty of options - and I assume QF have never transferred MEL originating/terminating pax to a JQ AVV service.

If JQ can (and have) made it work good on them (although obviously the Geelong/western suburb mkt in its own right wasn't enough to sustain ADL/PER flights).

Personally for me I took note the other day when going to Torquay of the travel time. 37 mins to the AVV exit from the Princes Fwy, versus the 18mins it usually takes to the MEL exit on the Tulla at the same of the day (early afternoon) - an extra 19 mins each way, but certainly makes it worthy of consideration given the fare differential.

 

[Platy]

Re: JetStar - exceeds expectations time and time again... another quality Qantas prod

I can fully understand MunitalP's viewpoint. For point to point travel I think Jetstar are perfectly adequate option, and in my very limited experience have been a professional operation and would far exceed travelling short haul Y on legacy carriers in many parts of the world.

I think many people are still a little aggrieved by the handing over of routes to JQ, and the loss of SC/points earning opportunities on lower fares, and more importantly the loss of connectivity to other parts of the QF network. That to me is the biggest problem with JQ, but for point to point travel it doesn't really matter.

And as for the AVV strategy - I cannot understand why anyone would have a problem with this. It is not a substitution strategy (like many JQ routes) but a new market altogether, and therefore would not negatively impact anyone. Between QF & DJ there are 60+ flights a day in each direction between MEL/SYD, so that's plenty of options - and I assume QF have never transferred MEL originating/terminating pax to a JQ AVV service.

If JQ can (and have) made it work good on them (although obviously the Geelong/western suburb mkt in its own right wasn't enough to sustain ADL/PER flights).

Personally for me I took note the other day when going to Torquay of the travel time. 37 mins to the AVV exit from the Princes Fwy, versus the 18mins it usually takes to the MEL exit on the Tulla at the same of the day (early afternoon) - an extra 19 mins each way, but certainly makes it worthy of consideration given the fare differential.

Yes, JQ are adequate.

IMHO one needs to be wary of what hapens when things "go wrong". Flights can changed around greatly inconveniencing passengers, there is no direct means of dealing with a customer complaint, JQ are inflexible.

Some pax will put up with the downside to save a few $$$ (or the local airport is more convenient, etc).

Ironically, QF can be cheaper then JQ (eg current sale prices CNS-SYD and CNS-BNE), so clearly there is no integrated strategy on product demarcation in Qf Group HQ.

One must remember the sobering experiences of many - one small business associate arrived at AVV one or two minutes late due to unexpected delays on the freeways from MEL CBD and was refused boarding. Such folk swear off Deathstar for life...quite understandably from where I sit!!!

 

[serfty]

... And as for the AVV strategy - I cannot understand why anyone would have a problem with this. It is not a substitution strategy (like many JQ routes) but a new market altogether, and therefore would not negatively impact anyone. Between QF & DJ there are 60+ flights a day in each direction between MEL/SYD, so that's plenty of options - and I assume QF have never transferred MEL originating/terminating pax to a JQ AVV service. ...

There would generally be no need for this; QF have around 80 daily flights between MEL and SYD, JQ have ~15. So plenty of options to transfer.

I do know a person who has stated they will never willingly fly Jetstar again because of what happened after they were transferred from a JQ service to QF.

This after flying up to SYD from AVV on a cheap fare. On the return their JQ flight was cancelled with very little information or service provided. Eventually, Jetstar staff put them onto QF flight after some negotiation. Once arriving into MEL the last sunbus had departed. He than had to ante up for a cab fare to AVV of over $100 to collect his car.

 

[serfty]

I note this thread is very similar to a thread whose genesis was a like piece of JQ propaganda.

http://www.frequentflyer.com.au/com...oars-demand-cheap-seats-15298.html#post203130

 

[crazydave98]

Re: JetStar - exceeds expectations time and time again... another quality Qantas prod

... Virgin Blue can't lay a finger on Jetstar for a quality product. .....

Pros
Pilots who land the aircraft, not slam it into the ground (DJ)

Yeah I know you're expecting me to take exception to the comparison between us and JQ but no. Glad to hear you are happy with JQ as I also believe they are a quality product and I travel them occaisionally to keep an eye on the competition.

I think you will find the difference in landings between us and JQ is actually aircraft design, not skill or otherwise of pilots. Take away the branding and I bet you could not pick a difference in recruitment and training procedures. The A320 has longer landing gear and longer travel suspension than the B737 to soak up the landing. You can see the the bottom of the engine cowl of the B737 is flattened while the A320 is perfectly round, which is to ensure ground clearance on the stumpy-legged B737. Those of you who have used stairs on both types should also notice a few more steps on the A320 sets because the aircraft sits higher.

You may have seen in the press in the last week or so that Boeing is going to give the B737 a warm-over rather than totally replace it (this will happen about 2020) which is a project I am involved in. The general expectation is that Boeing will put an engine with a bigger diameter fan (higher bypass ratio and greater fuel efficiency) and give the aircraft longer landing gear. This would make it "sit" more like a B757 and I wouldn't be surprised if they recycled some designs from that type.

 

[munitalP]

Re: JetStar - exceeds expectations time and time again... another quality Qantas prod

I note this thread is very similar to a thread whose genesis was a like piece of JQ propaganda.

http://www.frequentflyer.com.au/com...oars-demand-cheap-seats-15298.html#post203130

Is that a shot at me serfty? Uncalled for if it is...


Mr!

 

[munitalP]

Re: JetStar - exceeds expectations time and time again... another quality Qantas prod

Yeah I know you're expecting me to take exception to the comparison between us and JQ but no. Glad to hear you are happy with JQ as I also believe they are a quality product and I travel them occaisionally to keep an eye on the competition.

I think you will find the difference in landings between us and JQ is actually aircraft design, not skill or otherwise of pilots. Take away the branding and I bet you could not pick a difference in recruitment and training procedures. The A320 has longer landing gear and longer travel suspension than the B737 to soak up the landing. You can see the the bottom of the engine cowl of the B737 is flattened while the A320 is perfectly round, which is to ensure ground clearance on the stumpy-legged B737. Those of you who have used stairs on both types should also notice a few more steps on the A320 sets because the aircraft sits higher.

You may have seen in the press in the last week or so that Boeing is going to give the B737 a warm-over rather than totally replace it (this will happen about 2020) which is a project I am involved in. The general expectation is that Boeing will put an engine with a bigger diameter fan (higher bypass ratio and greater fuel efficiency) and give the aircraft longer landing gear. This would make it "sit" more like a B757 and I wouldn't be surprised if they recycled some designs from that type.

I still owe you a crownie... I will let you know my movements next week..

Mr!

 

[serfty]

Is that a shot at me serfty? Uncalled for if it is... ...

Not at all; If I was having a shot; it would be via PM.

I was merely pointing out the similarity of the respected press releases and inferring how the facts/stats are selectively used to portray a certain image.

I have flown JQ many times, the travel was OK, it got me from a to b.


Note that you will unlikely to find me willingly employ an AVV service, but that's related to Crownies being cheaper in the QP and AVV being harder to get to from my Home.

 

[oz_mark]

Re: JetStar - exceeds expectations time and time again... another quality Qantas prod

You may have seen in the press in the last week or so that Boeing is going to give the B737 a warm-over rather than totally replace it (this will happen about 2020) which is a project I am involved in. The general expectation is that Boeing will put an engine with a bigger diameter fan (higher bypass ratio and greater fuel efficiency) and give the aircraft longer landing gear. This would make it "sit" more like a B757 and I wouldn't be surprised if they recycled some designs from that type.

It will be interesting to see what comes of this. As it stands I have a slight preference, as a passenger, for the 320 over a 737 (seems quieter, larger, etc)

 

[crazydave98]

Re: JetStar - exceeds expectations time and time again... another quality Qantas prod

It will be interesting to see what comes of this. As it stands I have a slight preference, as a passenger, for the 320 over a 737 (seems quieter, larger, etc)

The A320 is certainly a few inches wider in fuselage diameter but wouldn't expect that to be addressed by the makeover - would require a new fuselage (i.e. new aircraft). I have never had Airbus claim to me that the A320 is quieter and never noticed it myself. The A320 has choice of 2 engines and only one of these engines is the same as that on the B737. JQ & TT (& NZ I think) all operated the V2500 engine which is the one not in common with the B737. If you want an aircraft that is noticably quieter try the E170/190 - this and the widest single aisle seats in the skies make it my personal favourite as a pax.