QF Y or JQ J

[DJ 1D]

I actually flew this same route on JQ a week ago. Hands down no contest - the cabin is much nicer, as are the seats and the service.

When I flew the cabin had a new in-seat IFE. Still somewhat limited in choice but a decent screen and a lot better than the coughpy old handheld things. You could also start watching straight away, though they did take the headsets about 20 mins from landing.

We had an Asian crew both ways that were lovely - very attentive and sweet. It also helped that the cabin was about 30% full going over and maybe 50% full coming back. That meant no one sitting next to me and when the guy in front reclined I simply moved over to the next seat.

Lounge access both ways - and in Singapore I arrived on a connecting flight too early to check in but the lounge angel let me go in straight away without a boarding pass and then helped me sort out the transfer desk when it opened.

All-in-all a very pleasant experience and really excellent value for money.

 

[Voyages]

Factor in how urgently you need to be there too: JQ's cancellation rates and delays are far higher than Qantas's.

My partner's connecting flight to KUL (after JQ7 MEL-SIN, *Class) was cancelled a month before his departure.

Not linking the alternatives offered by JQ (e.g. staying overnight in Singapore), my partner called JQ and asked if they could move his entire trip to 1 day earlier instead. They said yes and re-booked him straightaway, which was nice.

 

[Awesom Andy]

I actually flew this same route on JQ a week ago. Hands down no contest - the cabin is much nicer, as are the seats and the service.

When I flew the cabin had a new in-seat IFE. Still somewhat limited in choice but a decent screen and a lot better than the coughpy old handheld things. You could also start watching straight away, though they did take the headsets about 20 mins from landing.

We had an Asian crew both ways that were lovely - very attentive and sweet. It also helped that the cabin was about 30% full going over and maybe 50% full coming back. That meant no one sitting next to me and when the guy in front reclined I simply moved over to the next seat.

Lounge access both ways - and in Singapore I arrived on a connecting flight too early to check in but the lounge angel let me go in straight away without a boarding pass and then helped me sort out the transfer desk when it opened.

All-in-all a very pleasant experience and really excellent value for money.

Did it also have the pay-per-view system where you just swipe your credit card and that's all it needed? If I'm not mistaken, there's only 1 plane in the fleet that has this system - VH-EBQ. The StarClass cabin is identical to the QF dom J config, plus leather seats. The AVOD choice is still quite limited though - I didn't use it except for seeing where the plane was in relation to planet earth.

And the SIN based crews are absolutely wonderful, if you get them. Some of them are still very inexperienced, but the level of services provided are miles ahead of their AU counterparts.

And, so far, Jetstar (in SIN) is still the only airline who has refunded my money on the exact same day that they offered it (due to a cancelled flight).

 

[DJ 1D]

No, I don't recall it having a swipe system. I was in *class and it was a full touch screen system. There were about a dozen films, including King's Speech, Hereafter and Sex and Other Drugs (unedited - so lots of nakedness...) plus some TV. Not a huge selection but kept me pretty occupied for the flight.

I also noted that it was 2-3-2 seating throughout, and the first row was NOT 2-2-2. It was all standard 2-3-2.

Now I wish I has taken some photos!

 

[oz_mark]

No, I don't recall it having a swipe system. I was in *class and it was a full touch screen system. There were about a dozen films, including King's Speech, Hereafter and Sex and Other Drugs (unedited - so lots of nakedness...) plus some TV. Not a huge selection but kept me pretty occupied for the flight.

I wouldn't have though it necessary to have a swipe system in *Class. Perhaps in Y.

 

[Awesom Andy]

No, I don't recall it having a swipe system. I was in *class and it was a full touch screen system. There were about a dozen films, including King's Speech, Hereafter and Sex and Other Drugs (unedited - so lots of nakedness...) plus some TV. Not a huge selection but kept me pretty occupied for the flight.

I also noted that it was 2-3-2 seating throughout, and the first row was NOT 2-2-2. It was all standard 2-3-2.

Now I wish I has taken some photos!

There's no swiping in *Class, and I wonder if unedited versions of some movies are available in Y as well... that would be a big problem..

Anyway, main topic... Yes, EBQ has the new (enhanced) 2-3-2 at the front, so in this config, 2D and 1E are no longer the best seat. In fact, the bassinet positions have been removed from the sides of row 1 to the middle block as well, so if somebody picks 1E based on previous comments, they could be in a bit of a shock at check-in/boarding.

I also think that this config was originally meant for flights to Japan, but it seems that it's getting some SIN rotations due to current situations over there.

 

[ozavanti]

J rates. See attached table.

Frequent Flyer - About the Program - Benefits & Privileges - Jetstar Status Credits

I could be reading the chart incorrectly, but am i reading to correct that no SC are awarded for *Class from Mel to Sin?

If its true, it appears to contradict the Earning Points Calculator where it states 'On flights operated by Jetstar, Qantas Frequent Flyer points and Status Credit can be earned on Jetstar Jetflex and StarClass fares only".

Its not easy to do but im confused :shock:...

 

[Awesom Andy]

It appears that the points table has been effectively abandoned. MEL-SIN doesn't have a *C entry, and Jetstar Asia (3K) in the bottom section of the page has opened up a few routes in the past years, none of which are listed.

 

[anchew]

I could be reading the chart incorrectly, but am i reading to correct that no SC are awarded for *Class from Mel to Sin?

If its true, it appears to contradict the Earning Points Calculator where it states 'On flights operated by Jetstar, Qantas Frequent Flyer points and Status Credit can be earned on Jetstar Jetflex and StarClass fares only".

Its not easy to do but im confused :shock:...

That table was last updated on 31 December 2008 so is probably way out of date.

On another note, I booked the Jetstar *Class flights MEL-SIN-MEL over the weekend and when it came to the axillary items page, it gave me the option of pre-purchasing a meal :shock: so I rang Jetstar to clarify. The nice lady advised me that *Class does indeed include meals in the cost of the fare and I should ignore that option.

Has anyone known of instances where someone has pre-purchased a meal when making a *Class booking? What happened? I'm just curious. It just seems silly to have that option if it's already included in the fare.

 

[mannej]

On another note, I booked the Jetstar *Class flights MEL-SIN-MEL over the weekend and when it came to the axillary items page, it gave me the option of pre-purchasing a meal :shock: so I rang Jetstar to clarify. The nice lady advised me that *Class does indeed include meals in the cost of the fare and I should ignore that option.

Has anyone known of instances where someone has pre-purchased a meal when making a *Class booking? What happened? I'm just curious. It just seems silly to have that option if it's already included in the fare.

I had a mixed class booking with JQ recently. I was playing around with the comfort pack, and the meal. I found that the website would only charge for both items on the Y sector.

 

[zeiron]

As a person of normal size, the ONLY benefit i find with *class is the J S/C earn. the seats are awful and the service equally so and for my $$, id rather fly QF and know that should something go wrong, i have the benefit of being flown via another port or another airline, to get me where i need to be. Whilst *class is very competitively priced when its on sale, i dont think it represents overall value from a service point of view. just my 2p worth....

 

[Alanslegal]

As a person of normal size, the ONLY benefit i find with *class is the J S/C earn. the seats are awful and the service equally so and for my $$, id rather fly QF and know that should something go wrong, i have the benefit of being flown via another port or another airline, to get me where i need to be. Whilst *class is very competitively priced when its on sale, i dont think it represents overall value from a service point of view. just my 2p worth....

StarClass gives priority check-in, boarding, disembarking. Wider seats, better drinks, better meals, ammenity kit. Also not to mention International Business Lounge access. So if you were a non QP,SG,WP,CL then the benefits apart from the J SC and points is much more.

Personally I'm not a fan of StarClass because of the seats and would be happy in JQ economy but then I get a lounge access and that's the most important thing after the seat.

 

[wizzy]

Hi! I have tried both, and I would definitely choose *class over Y any day. I've flown economy, business on the A380 and *class and out of the 3 I think *class is the best value for money. Also if you are trying to go up a status level it's fantastic because you earn at business class level but pay the same as economy. I flew *class to coughet and the service was fantastic. The staff kept bringing out food - brought out our dinner (same meal as economy cabin but still edible), then they brought out a dessert trolley, cheese trolley, baileys trolley, ice creams...it was really nice. The seat isn't lie flat or anything like a business class seat but it is more comfortable than an economy class seat. Plus there are like 300+ people in an economy cabin and 20 or something like that in *class so it is no contest for me. If I am going for leisure and travelling somewhere Jetstar flies I will always choose *class. Plus if you don't have lounge access you get lounge access which is great. My partner and I called it "cashed up bogan class".

 

[zeiron]

StarClass gives priority check-in, boarding, disembarking. Wider seats, better drinks, better meals, ammenity kit. Also not to mention International Business Lounge access. So if you were a non QP,SG,WP,CL then the benefits apart from the J SC and points is much more.

Personally I'm not a fan of StarClass because of the seats and would be happy in JQ economy but then I get a lounge access and that's the most important thing after the seat.

My apologies...... im a SG so all those things you mention, I get regardless. But if I didnt, then sure, lounge access would be a bonus.
I should say that i've only flown *class SYD-KIX-SYD and found the food to actually be below QF Y standard, so i'm a little perplexed by how the meals and drinks are better given that, as i understand it, they are identical to what you pay for down the back.

My little trick to this is to book an "extra seat" down the back and allocate seating with a spare seat in the middle. If your nice to the agent, they often block the middle seat so you get all 3! This is in my opinion the cheapest and best way to get a "flat bed" on an international flight and the best bit is you only pay the base fare for the additional seat and not the "taxes" (which are generally about half to a third of the total price paid, due to taxes and surcharges) in addition to earning points and S/C for the extra seat. This beats Y+, *Class and even J from a value point of view.