Jetstar and Jetstar Asia flights out of Singapore are now departing from Terminal 4 at Changi Airport.

The terminal change took place on 23 March 2023. Prior to this, Jetstar had been co-located with the majority of its partner airlines in Changi Airport’s Terminal 1.

Terminal 4 is the newest of the terminals at Singapore’s Changi Airport. It was closed during the pandemic while demand was low, but reopened in September 2022. Since then, around 18 airlines including Cathay Pacific, Korean Air and AirAsia have relocated their operations at Changi Airport to Terminal 4.

The new terminal has 17 gates able to support narrow-body aircraft such as the Airbus A320, which Jetstar Asia flies. The airport says that this will provide Jetstar Asia with room to expand and reduces the need for the airline to bus passengers to remote aircraft bays.

What the change to Terminal 4 means for Jetstar passengers

Jetstar and Jetstar Asia’s move to Terminal 4 wouldn’t cause problems for a majority of passengers transiting in Singapore between Jetstar Asia flights.

It also doesn’t make that much difference for customers beginning or ending their journey in Singapore, although a bus connection is required to get from the Changi Airport MRT (train) station to Terminal 4.

Unfortunately, as a result of this change, it’s now less convenient to connect in Singapore between Jetstar flights and most other airlines, including Qantas. To travel between Terminal 4 and the other three terminals in Singapore, passengers need to take a free shuttle bus as T4 is in a completely separate building. Both landside and airside bus connections are available.

Qantas sells many connecting itineraries with Qantas flights to Singapore that connect onwards from Singapore on Jetstar Asia. Many other airlines that operate from Terminal 1, including Emirates, Japan Airlines and Finnair, also sell tickets involving connections via Singapore to/from Jetstar or Jetstar Asia flights. These connections now require passengers to catch the transfer bus.

For Qantas Club, Gold, Platinum and Platinum One frequent flyers on Jetstar, accessing the Qantas lounges in Singapore’s Terminal 1 is also now more difficult. It’s still possible, but requires longer bus transfers to get between the Jetstar terminal and the Qantas lounges.

Note that Jetstar Asia (IATA code: 3K) is an airline based in Singapore that exclusively flies Airbus A320s. Jetstar (IATA code: JQ) is a separate airline based in Australia.

Jetstar currently flies Boeing 787s between Melbourne and Singapore. All of the Jetstar Group’s other flights out of Singapore are operated by Jetstar Asia.

The terminal change was delayed by five months

Jetstar Asia’s relocation to Terminal 4 was initially announced by Changi Airport in July 2022. It was originally to take effect from late October 2022, but the Jetstar Group had apparently not yet agreed to the change and vocally opposed it at the time.

“We are extremely disappointed that the Changi Airport Group (CAG) has chosen to unilaterally announce a plan to relocate the Jetstar Group to Terminal 4 at Changi International Airport, before any agreement has been reached,” Jetstar said in a statement in July 2022.

“A joint study was only agreed to be undertaken last week and this announcement completely disregards that agreement and the impact a move would have on our customers, our people, and our operations.

“While we remain committed to working with CAG, today’s announcement by the airport ignores our concerns and goes against the spirit of the long-standing partnership we have built over the years.”

Jetstar Asia has changed its tune

After completing their joint study, Jetstar Asia and the airport operator agreed that Jetstar would move in March 2023. In a statement, Changi Airport Group acknowledged that the airline needed more time to prepare for the change.

“Following the completion of our joint study, which included operational trials, we are glad to have reached agreement,” Changi Airport Group Managing Director of Air Hub Development Lim Ching Kiat said.

“Jetstar Asia’s move will enable Changi Airport to optimise the use of its aircraft gates in order to meet increasing travel demand, especially during the early morning peak period. It will also create headroom for Jetstar Asia and other airlines to grow at Changi.”

At that time, Jetstar Asia CEO Barathan Pasupathi described moving to Terminal 4 as the “start of a new chapter” for his airline.

“I extend my appreciation to CAG and the many Jetstar team members who were involved in this critical joint study. Our priority has always been to provide a safe operation while continuing to offer the excellent travel experience our customers have come to expect from Jetstar,” Pasupathi said.

“Since launching our operations in Singapore 18 years ago, Jetstar has called Terminal 1 home. During this time, we have welcomed more than 40 million customers on board our flights and extended our excellent product offering to premium airline partners including Qantas, Emirates and around 40 other codeshare and interline carriers.”

Pasupathi also said that last month that the move to T4 would “enable us to grow our fleet, our capacity, and our network of exciting destinations so millions more will have access to our affordable fares.”

Matt Graham

The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 90 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course!
Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil & Kazakhstan. His interests include economics, aviation & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine.

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