Jetstar Airways Pty Ltd, operating as Jetstar, is an Australian
low-cost airline (self-described as "value-based") headquartered in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...
. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of
Qantas
Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the world's third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founde ...
, created in response to the threat posed by airline
Virgin Blue
Virgin Australia, the trading name of Virgin Australia Airlines Pty Ltd, is an Australian-based airline. It is the largest airline by fleet size to use the Virgin brand. It commenced services on 31 August 2000 as ''Virgin Blue'', with two a ...
. Jetstar is part of Qantas' two brand strategy of having Qantas Airways for the premium full-service market and Jetstar for the low-cost market. Jetstar carries 8.5% of all passengers travelling in and out of Australia.
The airline operates an extensive domestic network as well as regional and international services from its main base at
Melbourne Airport,
using a mixed fleet of the
Airbus A320 family
The Airbus A320 family is a series of narrow-body airliners developed and produced by Airbus.
The A320 was launched in March 1984, first flew on 22 February 1987, and was introduced in April 1988 by Air France.
The first member of the fam ...
and the
Boeing 787 Dreamliner
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is an American Wide-body aircraft, wide-body jet airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
After dropping its unconventional Boeing Sonic Cruiser, Sonic Cruiser project, Boeing announced th ...
. Like its Qantas parent, Jetstar competes with
Virgin Australia.
Qantas, through the
Jetstar Group, also has stakes in sister airlines
Jetstar Asia Airways and
Jetstar Japan
is a Japanese low-cost airline headquartered in Narita, Chiba. Initially planned to commence flights in late 2012, it launched ahead of schedule on 3 July 2012. The airline serves destinations across the Asia-Pacific region, using a fleet of ...
.
History
The airline was established by
Qantas
Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the world's third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founde ...
in 2003 as a low-cost domestic subsidiary, under then-CEO Bruce Buchanan. Qantas had previously acquired
Impulse Airlines on 20 November 2001 and operated it under the
QantasLink
QantasLink is a regional brand of Australian airline Qantas and is an affiliate member of the Oneworld airline alliance. It is a major competitor to Regional Express Airlines and Virgin Australia Regional Airlines. As of September 2010 Qant ...
brand, but following the decision to launch a
low-cost carrier
A low-cost carrier or low-cost airline (occasionally referred to as '' no-frills'', ''budget'' or '' discount carrier'' or ''airline'', and abbreviated as ''LCC'') is an airline that is operated with an especially high emphasis on minimizing op ...
, re-launched the airline under the Jetstar brand.
Domestic passenger services began on 25 May 2004, soon after the sale of tickets for its inaugural flight in February 2004. International services to
Christchurch
Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon Rive ...
,
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...
, commenced on 1 December 2005. Although owned by Qantas, its management operates largely independent of Qantas through the company formerly known as Impulse Airlines.
Originally the airline was headquartered on the grounds of
Avalon Airport near Melbourne, and started flying out of Avalon Airport in mid-2004, but has since relocated its registered office to the
Melbourne CBD
The Melbourne central business district (also known colloquially as simply "The City" or "The CBD") is the city centre and main urban area of the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, centred on the Hoddle Grid, the oldest part of the city l ...
.
Despite its low-cost ethos, Jetstar currently offers a limited number of connecting services without through baggage checking – though this has changed since international flights commenced in November 2006. Baggage connectivity was added as a service offering for domestic flights connecting with international flights.
Reserved seating is currently provided on all routes and on 4 October 2006, Jetstar became the first Australian airline to allow customers to select their seat upon booking. Sister airline Jetstar Asia Airways took off from its Singapore hub to Hong Kong on 13 December 2004. This marked Qantas' entry into the Asian low-cost market and signified its intention to battle key competitor
Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines ( abbreviation: SIA) is the flag carrier airline of the Republic of Singapore with its hub located at Singapore Changi Airport. The airline is notable for highlighting the Singapore Girl as its central figure in corporat ...
on its home ground. Qantas has a 49% stake in Jetstar Asia's ownership.
On 1 December 2005, Jetstar commenced operations from Sydney, Melbourne,
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...
and the
Gold Coast to
Christchurch
Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon Rive ...
in New Zealand. On 7 December 2005, it was announced that Jetstar would establish the world's first global low-cost airline. At the end of 2005, it was announced that Jetstar would fly to
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
, from Avalon Airport.
In July 2006, Jetstar and
Jetstar Asia
Jetstar Asia Airways Pte Ltd (operating as Jetstar Asia) is a low-cost airline based in Singapore. It is one of the Asian offshoots of parent Jetstar Airways, the low-cost subsidiary airline of Australia's Qantas airline. It operates service ...
were brought together under the "Jetstar" brand.
Online bookings for both carriers were integrated into Jetstar.com.
In July 2007, Qantas acquired an 18% stake in Vietnam's
Pacific Airlines
Pacific Airlines Joint Stock Aviation Company (, operating as Pacific Airlines) is a low-cost airline headquartered in Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. With its operating base at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, Ho Chi Minh C ...
, to increase to 30% by 2010. The airline was relaunched on 23 May 2008 as ''Jetstar Pacific''.
On 1 August 2008, Jetstar announced that it had signed an agreement with the
Northern Territory Government to make
Darwin International Airport an international hub with plans for seven aircraft to be based in Darwin. Under the agreement, Jetstar would be required to base three aircraft at Darwin by June 2009, with a further four by June 2012, with the Northern Territory Government to provide $5 million to set up the hub and a further $3 million for promotion of the new routes. In December 2013, Jetstar announced that it would be closing the Darwin base in May 2014 and re-positioning the based aircraft to Adelaide. Flights to Tokyo via Manila were to be discontinued while services to Singapore would be operated by Jetstar Asia with Singapore-based aircraft. The base closure was attributed to cost-cutting measures by parent company
Qantas
Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the world's third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founde ...
as well as increased competition from the re-introduction of flights by Asian carriers into Darwin airport.
On 28 April 2009, Jetstar commenced daily direct services from
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...
to the Gold Coast and Sydney. On 10 June 2009, Jetstar commenced domestic New Zealand flights between Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Queenstown using Airbus A320 aircraft; services to Dunedin commenced later. Jetstar replaced Qantas subsidiary
Jetconnect
Jetconnect Ltd. was a wholly owned subsidiary of Qantas that has its head office in Auckland, New Zealand. Originally established in July 2002 as a New Zealand-based airline, the company has since stopped operating as an airline but continues to ...
on these routes.
From 1 February 2011, Jetstar started its co-operation with the
oneworld alliance, allowing people booking an itinerary with a full oneworld member to include a Jetstar flight in the itinerary. However, the flight must be sold via Jetstar's corporate parent Qantas, under a QF flight number.
In August 2011, Jetstar's parent Qantas announced that it would set up a new airline to be called
Jetstar Japan
is a Japanese low-cost airline headquartered in Narita, Chiba. Initially planned to commence flights in late 2012, it launched ahead of schedule on 3 July 2012. The airline serves destinations across the Asia-Pacific region, using a fleet of ...
, a joint venture of Jetstar,
Japan Airlines, and
Mitsubishi
The is a group of autonomous Japanese multinational companies in a variety of industries.
Founded by Yatarō Iwasaki in 1870, the Mitsubishi Group historically descended from the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, a unified company which existed from 1870 ...
. The airline was expected to start operating in December 2012, but then launched ahead of schedule on 3 July 2012.
In March 2012, another Asian Jetstar branded airline was announced,
Jetstar Hong Kong
Jetstar Hong Kong was a planned low fare airline, based at Hong Kong International Airport (Currently as a brand used for promoting the sister companies of Jetstar). In June 2015, Hong Kong's Air Transport Licensing Authority refused Jetstar ...
, a strategic partnership between Qantas and
China Eastern Airlines
China Eastern Airlines Corporation Limited (), also known as China Eastern, is an airline headquartered in the China Eastern Airlines Building, on the grounds of Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport in Changning District, Shanghai. It i ...
, which was expected to commence operations in 2013. Although it took delivery of aircraft, Jetstar Hong Kong never commenced operations due to a revoked licence application.
In November 2013, Jetstar moved its head office from Melbourne's CBD to the suburb of Collingwood. In February 2014, Jetstar signed a codeshare agreement with
Emirates Airlines as a continuation of the agreement between Emirates and Qantas, Jetstar's parent airline.
In mid-2014, the
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) took legal action against Jetstar and competitor Virgin Australia in respect of
drip pricing
Drip pricing is a technique used by online retailers of goods and services whereby a headline price is advertised at the beginning of the purchase process, following which additional fees, taxes or charges, which may be unavoidable, are then increm ...
. In November 2015 the
Federal Court of Australia
The Federal Court of Australia is an Australian superior court of record which has jurisdiction to deal with most civil disputes governed by federal law (with the exception of family law matters), along with some summary (less serious) and indic ...
found that the ACCC's claims that the two airlines engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct by carrying out drip pricing were proven. In September 2022, The Qantas Group has appointed Stephanie Tully as the new CEO of Jetstar.
New Zealand operations
In June 2015, Jetstar announced that it would commence regional services in New Zealand, beginning in December 2015. The new services would be flown by five turboprops
Bombardier Dash 8s operated by
Eastern Australia Airlines—one of Qantas' subsidiary regional airlines—under the Jetstar brand. At least four new destinations would be served initially, with
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to:
People
* Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname
** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland
** Lord Hamilto ...
,
Rotorua
Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. The city lies on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authority encomp ...
,
New Plymouth
New Plymouth ( mi, Ngāmotu) is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, Devon from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. Th ...
,
Napier,
Palmerston North
Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...
,
Nelson and
Invercargill
Invercargill ( , mi, Waihōpai is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. The city lies in the heart of the wide expanse ...
named as the cities under consideration.
On 31 August 2015, Jetstar announced it had selected the first four regional centres it would serve at the commencement of operations on 1 December; these were Napier, Nelson, New Plymouth, and Palmerston North. All four cities had services to
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...
;
Nelson also had services to
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by ...
.
Jetstar announced in November 2019 that they would be ceasing all of their regional routes in New Zealand due because the routes were loss-making.
In mid-March 2020, Jetstar suspended their New Zealand operations in response to the global
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. On 15 August, Jetstar suspended its domestic operations in New Zealand after the Government implemented social distancing rules in response to a second outbreak in Auckland that month. The airline attracted criticism after it refused to offer cash refunds to passengers whose flights were affected by the cancellation, instead offering travel vouchers or to change dates.
In mid-September 2020, Jetstar announced that it was resuming domestic flights in New Zealand after the New Zealand Government eliminated physical distancing requirements on aircraft.
Destinations
Codeshare agreements
Jetstar Airways has
codeshare agreements with the following airlines:
*
American Airlines
American Airlines is a major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the largest airline in the world when measured by fleet size, scheduled passengers carried, and revenue passeng ...
*
Emirates
Emirates may refer to:
* United Arab Emirates, a Middle Eastern country
* Emirate, any territory ruled by an emir
** Gulf emirates, emirates located on the Persian Gulf
** Emirates of the United Arab Emirates, the individual emirates
* The Emirat ...
*
Fiji Airways
Fiji Airways (trading as and formerly known as Air Pacific) is the flag carrier airline of Fiji and operates international services from its hubs in Fiji to 13 countries and 26 cities including, Australia, New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, ...
*
Finnair
*
Japan Airlines
*
Jeju Air
*
Jin Air
*
LATAM Chile
*
LOT Polish Airlines
LOT Polish Airlines, legally incorporated as Polskie Linie Lotnicze LOT S.A. (corporation), S.A. (, ''flight''), is the flag carrier of Poland. Established in 1928, LOT was a founding member of IATA and remains one of List of airlines by foundat ...
*
Qantas
Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the world's third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founde ...
Fleet
Current fleet
, the Jetstar Airways fleet consists of the following aircraft:
[Airbus Orders and Deliveries (XLS), monthly updated, accessed via ]
Fleet development
Qantas placed an order for 110 A320s in 2011, with 11 allocated to a planned new Qantas Group premium airline in Asia (never actually established) and 99 to various Jetstar-branded airlines including Jetstar Hong Kong, which received aircraft but never commenced operations. The order consisted of 32 A320ceos and 78 A320neos, with scope to convert some to A321s. In 2014, Qantas ordered another 21 A320neos, taking the total on order to 99. Some of the A320neo orders were converted to A321neos, with 54 A320neos and 45 A321neos being on order as of 2017.
As of 2016, the operator or operators of the A320neos and A321neos (Jetstar group airline or airlines, or Qantas mainline) remained unspecified.
In February 2018 eighteen of the orders were converted to A321LRs to allow Jetstar Airways to deploy some of its Boeing 787s onto other routes. On 19 June 2019, at the Paris Air Show, Qantas Group converted 26 A321Neo orders to the A321XLR and 10 A321neo to the A321LR. In addition 10 further A321XLRs were ordered. Total orders for the A320neo family are now 109: 45 A320neos, 28 A321LRs, and 36 A321XLR. How these planes will be distributed throughout the Qantas Group has not been announced; some of the A321XLRs have been earmarked for Qantas by CEO Alan Joyce. The rest of the aircraft will be allocated to their Jetstar subsidiaries.
Former fleet
Jetstar formerly operated the following aircraft:
Marketing and sponsorship
From 2004 to 2006, the airline's mascot, ''Julie The Jetstar Girl'', was played by actress Magda Szubanski
Magdalene Mary Therese Szubanski ( ; born 12 April 1961) is an Australian comedy actress, author, singer and LGBT rights advocate. She performed in ''Fast Forward'', ''Kath & Kim'' as Sharon Strzelecki and in the films ''Babe'' (1995) and ' ...
.
The advertising slogan of Jetstar is "All day every day low fares". In 2006, the jingle "Let's Fly Jetstar tonight" and the use of Szubanski ceased and was replaced with "It's All About Choice / Fly Away" (later "Low Fares, Good Time").
Jetstar Airways was the major sponsor of the National Rugby League
The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...
team, the Gold Coast Titans from 2008 until 2012. In July 2008 Jetstar Airways was named the Official Airline of the Australian national rugby league team. One of its A320s was decorated with special decals to advertise the relationship.
In-flight service
On all domestic routes Jetstar has a buy on board
Buy may refer to a trade, i.e., an exchange of goods and services via bartering or a monetary purchase.
The term may also refer to:
Places
* Buy (inhabited locality), any of several inhabited localities in Russia
* Burlington-Alamance Regional ...
single class service offering food and drinks for purchase.
On all Boeing 787 international routes, Jetstar offers a two-class service.
;Business Class
Jetstar offers Business Class on its B787-8 aircraft. The Business Class cabin is fitted with 21 leather premium class seats in a 2-3-2 configuration, similar to Qantas domestic Business Class or Qantas international premium economy class. The service is inclusive of all meals and beverages, in-flight entertainment, and includes an increased baggage allowance of 30 kg. Business Max fares also include Qantas Club lounge access where available, and earn Qantas Frequent Flyer
Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the world's third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founde ...
points.
;Economy Class
Jetstar offers either pre-purchased meals on wheels or buy on board service with food and beverages.
In-flight entertainment
The airline has an eponymously named inflight magazine
An inflight magazine (or in-flight magazine) is a free magazine distributed via the seats of an airplane, by an airline company, or in an airport lounge.
Overview
Many airline companies, or a few key content creating companies, produce in-flig ...
. In November 2011, Jetstar became the first airline to offer passengers iPad
The iPad is a brand of iOS and iPadOS-based tablet computers that are developed by Apple Inc., Apple Inc. The iPad was conceived before the related iPhone but the iPhone was developed and released first. Speculation about the development, ...
s for use as in-flight entertainment devices. The units, which are pre-loaded with movies, games, and magazines, are provided on flights over two hours duration and are available for a fee in Economy Class but are complimentary in the international Business Class cabin, although some aircraft have seat back entertainment screens. The options available are changed on a bi-monthly basis depending on customer feedback forms which are collected by head office through a random selection process.
Jetstar's Boeing 787 aircraft are fitted with 10-inch seat-back on-demand entertainment screens in business class and 9-inch screens in economy class.
Television series
The Nine Network
The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television netw ...
began airing the series '' Going Places'' from October 2007. The eight-part series depicted the everyday lives of selected members of Jetstar's Melbourne airport staff. The show followed the dramas of the check-in staff mid-flight, and new international recruits.
Jetstar Group
In addition to owning 100% of Jetstar Airways in Australia (also operating in New Zealand), the Qantas Group owns varying stakes in other Jetstar-branded airlines in the Asia-Pacific region. These airlines represent a strategy to provide better growth for the Qantas Group by accessing the intra-Asia market: exploiting both its faster growth and/or its under-penetration by low-cost airlines.
Qantas partners with local investors as both a means to overcome foreign ownership or traffic rights restrictions and to keep the ventures "capital light", i.e. reduce the capital investment required by Qantas and keep assets such as aircraft off the Qantas balance sheet.
From 2008 to 2020, the Group also consisted of Jetstar Pacific
Pacific Airlines Joint Stock Aviation Company (, operating as Pacific Airlines) is a low-cost airline headquartered in Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. With its operating base at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, Ho Chi Minh C ...
, a Vietnamese subsidiary which is also co-owned by Vietnam Airlines
Vietnam Airlines ( vi, Hãng Hàng không Quốc gia Việt Nam, lit=Vietnam National Airlines) is the flag carrier of Vietnam. The airline was founded in 1956 and later established as a state-owned enterprise in April 1989. Vietnam Airline ...
(nearly 70%). However, since July 2020, this carrier left the Jetstar Group and rebranded to Pacific Airlines.
The Jetstar Group consists of the following airlines:
File:VH-VFN Jetstar Airways Airbus A320-232(WL) (30782184845).jpg, Jetstar Airways (Australia/New Zealand)
File:Jetstar Asia Airways, A320-200, 9V-JSM (18378784551).jpg, Jetstar Asia
Jetstar Asia Airways Pte Ltd (operating as Jetstar Asia) is a low-cost airline based in Singapore. It is one of the Asian offshoots of parent Jetstar Airways, the low-cost subsidiary airline of Australia's Qantas airline. It operates service ...
/Valuair
Valuair (Chinese: 惠旅航空) was a Singapore-based low-cost carrier. It was launched on 5 May 2004, offering initial services to Bangkok and Hong Kong. It differentiated itself from other low-cost carriers by offering frills such as a bagga ...
(Singapore)
File:Jetstar Japan, A320-200, JA07JJ (18177638790).jpg, Jetstar Japan
is a Japanese low-cost airline headquartered in Narita, Chiba. Initially planned to commence flights in late 2012, it launched ahead of schedule on 3 July 2012. The airline serves destinations across the Asia-Pacific region, using a fleet of ...
The Jetstar Group is headed by CEO Gareth Evans.
The final two aircraft (9V-VLA and 9V-VLB) were transferred from the Valuair AOC to the Jetstar Asia Airways AOC (as 9V-VLE and 9V-VLF) during April 2010. Although Jetstar Asia Airways generally maintains two aircraft in a hybrid Jetstar/Valuair livery, they sit on the Jetstar Asia Airways AOC.
The Jetstar financial results include Jetstar Airways, Jetstar Asia Airways and Valuair as consolidated entities in the Qantas Group accounts. Despite Qantas owning only a minority stake in Jetstar Asia Airways and Valuair (51% owned and effectively controlled by Singaporean nationals as required under Singapore aviation regulations), Australian accounting standards have required them to be treated as consolidated entities since 8 April 2009. Jetstar Pacific Airlines and Jetstar Japan are treated as investments in associates and not consolidated in the Qantas Group accounts.
References
External links
*
*
Jetstar Airways mobile website
Jetstar Magazine
{{COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
Airlines based in Melbourne
Qantas
Low-cost carriers
Airlines established in 2003
Australian brands
Australian companies established in 2003