Airline review: Nine hours with a faulty seatback screen
The flight
Jetstar JQ27, Boeing 787-8, economy class, Sydney to Phuket. Scheduled to depart at 3.05pm, though eventual pushback is at 3.40pm (35 minutes behind schedule). Flight time nine hours, 15 minutes.
Frequency
Three times a week.
A broken touchscreen and late departure cause extra frustration on this Jetstar flight.
The loyalty scheme
Though Jetstar doesn’t offer a loyalty scheme, Qantas Frequent Flyer members can earn and redeem status credits and points on certain fare categories offered by Jetstar. Emirates Skywards and JAL Mileage Bank members can also earn points on selected Jetstar fares.
Carbon emissions
1.02 tonnes for one economy class passenger. If you’re flying business class it’s 2.96 tonnes per passenger. Jetstar offers carbon offsetting and aims to reach net zero emissions by 2050.
Checking in
What… is going on here? I arrive at Sydney airport two hours before departure expecting the usual scrum to get to the check-in desk, and yet there’s barely a soul around. I walk straight up to a counter, drop my bag and I’m done and dusted in about two minutes, despite being on a full flight.
The seat
The 314 economy seats on board this Jetstar flight are arranged in 3-3-3 configuration, all with USB power sockets. The seat pitch is 30 inches (76 centimetres, compared to Qantas at 32 inches or 81 centimetres), and a width of 17 inches (with Qantas at 17.2 in the same aircraft type).
Baggage
I have an Economy Starter fare, with which I’ve purchased 15 kilograms of checked luggage – ample for a trip to southern Thailand, though there’s an option to purchase up to 40 kilograms. Carry-on is limited to 7 kilograms in total across two bags, though again there’s an option to purchase more.
Entertainment
The good news is that there is seatback entertainment provided on Jetstar’s international services, featuring a compact list of movies and TV shows, plus a few games and audio entertainment. The bad news is that you have to pay $13 extra to access it. And the really bad news, for me at least, is that my touchscreen doesn’t work properly, no matter how hard I jab it, so I’m left to amuse myself.
Jetstar’s 787 Dreamliner: economy seats have seatback entertainment for international flights.
Service
Polite and friendly, though this is a full flight on a budget airline, so there’s not much time for personalised service. Still, the crew do a good job of keeping an occasionally rowdy cabin under control.
Food
Though there are snacks and drinks sold on board here, if you want a meal of any substance you will need to book and pay for it beforehand. I’ve secured myself a butter chicken – which according to the label, is “18 per cent chicken” – but all other refreshments need to be purchased on board. The quality of my meal is pretty good; I’ve had far worse on fancier airlines.
One more thing
Jetstar’s on-time performance in recent months has been shocking, and well documented, so it’s no surprise to find my flight departing nearly 40 minutes late, and arriving 15 minutes behind schedule. The airline is taking steps to right the ship, now closing check-in an hour before departure, and boarding gates 20 minutes before.
The verdict
You expect a few discomforts on a budget airline, which are usually made up for by the price; however, the broken seatback entertainment and late departure cause extra frustration on this flight.
Our rating out of five
★★★
The writer travelled as a guest of Jetstar
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