From the AFF Archives: Jetstar Starts Long-Haul Flights (December 2006)

In our new “From the AFF Archives” series, we’ve opened up the Australian Frequent Flyer Gazette archives to bring you a selection of historical articles, news items and “travel tips” dating back to the very first Gazette in 2000!

The following article, “Another Step in Jetstar’s Journey”, was originally featured in the December 2006 edition of the Frequent Flyer Gazette.

Jetstar originally launched long-haul services using a fleet of Airbus A330-200 aircraft. Those planes have since been transferred to the Qantas fleet and replaced by newer Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners.

This also marked the launch of Jetstar’s first premium cabin. Jetstar’s A330 Business Class product was originally called “StarClass”, reflecting the fact it’s much closer to a Premium Economy product. It has since been renamed to Jetstar Business Class.

This article was originally published in the Australian Frequent Flyer Gazette in December 2006.

Another Step in Jetstar’s Journey

It’s been a long time coming, but Jetstar’s long haul flight service has finally taken off. Jetstar’s first Bangkok-bound international flight was farewelled in celebratory style at Melbourne’s international airport last month. Jetstar will fly long haul to seven international destinations including Bangkok, Phuket, Ho Chi Minh City, Bali, Honolulu, and Osaka and Nagoya in Western Japan.

Key features of Jetstar’s international services include:

• Two classes of service including Starclass, Jetstar’s business class
• A Qantas codeshare arrangement on all flights
• Connectivity of Jetstar passengers and their luggage between Jetstar international services and Qantas international and domestic services
• Assigned seating with online seat selection
• Qantas Frequent Flyer points and status credit points earned on Jetflex and Starclass fares
• Qantas lounge access for Qantas Club members 
• Qantas Frequent Flyer redemption seats on all flights

Whether Jetstar international lives up to the hype and delivers all the promised benefits is yet to be determined. One member has already complained of Jetstar’s refusal to accept AMEX on their website. Fresh claims have also arisen that Jetstar international fares are already aligned with Qantas fares, thus removing the “budget” from budget travel. We eagerly await your trip reports and verdict on the new service.

Editor’s note: Jetstar’s new international service was discussed on the AFF forum at the time on this thread. There was also a discussion here about Jetstar’s Starclass service.

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Matt Graham

The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 70 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.

You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @AFF Editor.