Jetsar is the budget airline of Qantas but it is independently operated from the parent company. Jetstar started operating in Australia in May 2004 due to increased competition from budget airline VirginBlue.  The no frills approach to domestic travel was popular so Qantas birthed Jetstar Airlines to take a share of the budget flight market.  The competition between budget airlines has created great opportunities for bargains. Jetstar has had sales of 1 cent airfares, however getting one is difficult.  Apart from these kind of advertising gimmicks the general fares are good.

As with other budget airlines no food or drink is included in the ticket price however an in-flight service offers food and drinks for sale. Generally these prices are expensive for budget traveller.

Jetstar used to have no seat allocation and instead had a colour code system which worked on the check in time. This resulted in a mad scramble for seats,  however this system has fortunately been replaced with allocated seating.

Strict check in times apply and these have resulted in passengers being refused check in. Here is an excert from Jetstars conditions of carriage so you don’t get caught.

 Check In Deadline

For flights departing from a domestic terminal, check in will close 30 minutes before scheduled departure and for flights departing from an international terminal, 60 minutes before scheduled departure. You will not be able to check-in after these Check-In Deadlines. Arrival after these Check-In Deadlines may result in you forfeiting the entire fare paid. Once checked-in, you must be at the boarding gate for flights departing from a domestic terminal at least 25 minutes before the scheduled departure time and for flights departing from an international terminal at least 40 minutes before the scheduled departure time.

Jetstar now has JetSaver fares which is touted as a new Light fares system where the sale price does not allow any checked bags. Carry on baggage is permitted however limits, including size restrictions, will be strictly applied.

Jetstar’s Australian destinations include Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Hobart, and Perth. Non-metropolitan flight destinations include Cairns, Darwin, Gold Coast, Launceston, Mackay, Newcastle, Rockhampton, Sunshine coast, Townsville and the Whitsunday’s.

Jetstar international flight destinations include Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Bali, Thailand, Vietnam, New Zealand and more…

The planes operated by Jetstar are new and comfortable to fly in. The service is comparable to any other airline or even Qantas service. The downside to Jetstar when flying into Melbourne is that it lands at Avalon Airport which is close to Geelong not Melbourne. Obviously the airport fees for the budget airline are reduced but the inconvienince for travellers expecting to land in Melbourne off sets that relative gain for this destination.  The trip from Avalon is about 45 minutes back to the city, expensive if you take a taxi.  This minor gripe aside the cost advantage and quality of the service makes flying with Jetstar generally worth the fare.

Australia is a huge country, about 4000km from East to West as the crow flies but travel time is much longer if you are driving the highways. For this reason, to save time as a traveller and get to see more of the major attractions Australia has to offer, air travel is the only option. Australia has four major airlines all reputable and with their own strengths and weaknesses.

Qantas the flagship of Australian travel has flights to most places in Australia. It also operates Qantas link which is flies on less commercial rural flights. Qantas has many international destinations and is the owner of Jetstar a budget or no frills domestic air line. Jetstar is venturing into international travel to limited Asian destinations.

Virgin Blue has both international and domestic flights and was Australia’s first real budget airline. Its low coast airfares opened up air travel to many Australians.

The newest airline is Tiger Airways. Tiger has limited domestic and international flights but has very reasonable fares to the destinations that it services.

Whilst Australian domestic air travel is somewhat more expensive than Europe, there are bargains to be had. With fuel prices on the rise, air travel is comparable to driving except the time delay between destinations is reduced considerably.

Tiger Airways is a low cost airline which commenced its operations in Australia in November 2007. Essentially Tiger Airways offers cheap flights on its 12 destinations in Australia. As a budget airline service the ticket cost covers the seat booking and 15kg of check in luggage. The airline also offers upgrades on luggage of 5kg, 10kg and 15kg that is paid for on top of the ticket price.

No food or drink is included in the ticket price however an in-flight service offers food and drinks for sale. Generally these prices are expensive for budget conscious travellers.

Baggage and Flight Check in is Strict! Initially travellers have been caught by the strict check in procedures and been denied check in after the 45 minute cut off time. Here an excerpt from Tigers check in policy so you don’t get caught.

“Baggage check-in opens 2 hours prior to the scheduled time of your departure. Check-in desks close strictly 45 minutes before scheduled departure time.

Tiger Airways recommends that passengers check in two hours prior to scheduled departure. Check-in desks in the Budget Terminal close strictly 45 minutes before scheduled departure, by which time passengers should have completed the check-in process and be in possession of a valid boarding card. We reserve the right to cancel your reservation and deny you boarding if you do not comply with the Check-in Deadline.

Any passenger not having completed check-in formalities and be in receipt of a boarding card within the above time line will forfeit their seat and no compensation will be given. You will be expected to purchase a new ticket on the next available service.”

The hub of Tiger Airways is Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport. Tiger flys to Alice Springs, Adelaide, Hobart, Launceston, Canberra, Newcastle, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Rockhampton and Mackay. Tiger also has flights to Perth and Darwin utilizing these cities as exit points to fly internationally into Singapore.

The flight experience is good with new planes and friendly staff however the baggage collection for Tiger at Melbourne Airport is budget. It is situated next to the large and luxurious Melbourne terminal, in a shed with cyclone mesh fencing open to the elements. The baggage service is fine and bags are available for pick up in a reasonable time frame. This ending to a trip reminds the traveller that they are flying a budget airline. Don’t let this put you off however as the cost savings compared to its competitors more than makes up for this little bug bear.

More Information:

www.tigerairways.com

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