Flying higher
July 30, 2006
Picture the next time you fly overseas. You are sitting in a state-of-the-art carbon fibre aeroplane with windows 60 per cent larger, with 20 per cent better fuel efficiency and better air conditioning to reduce jet lag.
You get a seat with your ticket but just that. If you want anything else, be it entertainment, food, blankets or earplugs, you have to pay for it separately before you fly or on board. But when you buy on board, the cabin crew are beaming because they get a commission on the sale.
You have far greater choice in what you eat and do on the plane. There's a range of meals and snacks from basic to gourmet, including regional offers to and from the places you are travelling and entertainment to satisfy the biggest cinema buff to the most ardent gamer.
There's also a kiosk if you fancy stretching your legs during the flight to grab a few goodies before watching the latest release film you've just paid for. The plane is wireless rigged so you can use your laptop to scan the internet, send emails, access your work system or make VoIP phone calls - at a price, of course.
And it's a two-class service, too, so you have the option of a seat the size of standard business class if you want the extra leg room and comfort.
Finally - and here's the killer part of the offer - you pay about 30 per cent less for your ticket than if you were flying on the same route with a full service carrier. But remember, that's for just your seat. The cost of your journey is entirely up to you as it depends on what you decide to buy and do while flying. It's like travelling a la carte rather than taking a set menu.
Welcome to jetsetting, Jetstar style. It's the new air travel offer that began taxiing down the Australian runway last week with the first release of Jetstar international tickets; the first flight, from Melbourne to Bangkok, is not until November. It's an innovative, practically untried aviation idea and it's the brainchild of the Qantas discount airline offshoot's Irish-born livewire chief executive Alan Joyce.
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