​​Jetstar squeezes six more seats onto Airbus A320, but say legroom will not be compromised

We’re sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. We’re working to restore it. Please try again later.

Advertisement

This was published 6 years ago

​​Jetstar squeezes six more seats onto Airbus A320, but say legroom will not be compromised

Jetstar will add six more seats onto Airbus A320.

Jetstar will add six more seats onto Airbus A320.

​Jetstar is squeezing more seats onto its Airbus A320, the aircraft that regularly fly between New Zealand and Australia, but says leg room will not be compromised.

The budget carrier will reconfigure its 43 A320s to add six more "slimline" seats, from 180 to 186, by moving the rear lavatories to the front and reducing galley space, Australian Aviation reported.

The new design will also include LED cabin lighting, new carpets and a new colour scheme.​

The airlines A320 regularly flies between New Zealand and Australia.

The airlines A320 regularly flies between New Zealand and Australia.

"This is the latest cabin design from Airbus, which is smarter about the way space is used on the aircraft and allows for an extra row of seats and more baggage space," Jetstar Australia and New Zealand chief executive Dean Salter said.

"The additional six seats improve the economics of these aircraft and help us to keep offering the low fares we are known for and maintain a great customer experience. These aircraft will allow us to carry more customers, particularly at peak times, to holiday destinations."

The Zodiac Aerospace Space Flex design has already been adopted by other airlines, including Lufthansa, JetBlue and EasyJet. Jetstar will begin the refit in August, with the remainder completed by the end of 2018.

The current seat pitch is an average of 29 inches (73.66 centimetres) - which will not change - but the refit will also include an "extra leg room row" (32-38 inches).

See also: Budget airlines: What sort of service you should expect

Advertisement

Meanwhile, the Qantas-owned low-cost carrier has lashed out at a passenger survey that ranked the airline one of the worst in the world.

An airline and airport survey released on Friday by consumer advocacy group Choice found passengers rated Jetstar lowest or equal lowest in six of nine categories including punctuality, comfort and meals.

Jetstar claimed the survey was flawed because it did not include ratings for Virgin Australia-owned rival Tiger Airways.

Choice said it did not receive enough responses from Tiger passengers to merit inclusion.

"Choice seem to enjoy criticising airlines without understanding the safety standards we operate to or recognising the role of low cost carriers in making travel more affordable for millions of Australians," Jetstar said in a statement.

Choice said it stood by the results of the survey, which garnered 11,273 responses from 822,000 postal and online questionnaires - including 745 from 75,000 in Australia.

Jetstar was named as the worst airline for boarding procedure, and joint worst for on board staff, punctuality, check in procedure, comfort and meals.

No other carrier finished last in as many categories, with France's second- largest carrier, Aigle Azur, taking five last-place finishes to make it the next most unpopular airline.

However, Jetstar owner Qantas was one of 14 airlines ranked highest for a feeling of safety.

Jetstar said the region in which it operates meant weather was often the source of delays and that it "always put safety before schedule."

It pointed out it had been named Asia-Pacific's best low-cost carrier for six years running by SkyTrax, a UK-based airline and airport ranking site, but acknowledged there was still work to be done.

AAP

See also: 'World's worst airline'? No, it's not Jetstar, regardless of what you've heard

See also: Jetstar to launch direct flights from Australia to Vietnam

Sign up for the Traveller newsletter

The latest travel news, tips and inspiration delivered to your inbox. Sign up now.

Most viewed on Traveller

Loading