Latest rip-off from Jetstar

[footbum]

Frequent Flyers who use Jetstar on domestic routes may have noticed when you book online you can now fork out an extra 10 bucks for an 'up-front' seat - WOW!!!

Seriously - is that extra 5 or so minutes saved waiting to disembark before lining up at the luggage carousel really worth it?

I guess it might be OK if you are an occasional traveller - but who in their right mind would pay for that?

I guess some obviously do - but I'm not sure if these 'up-front' seats revert to normal 'first-come first-served' seats whan all the others are taken.

Last year I used to be able to book a Jetsaver Light fare and assign a seat anywhere from row 8 onwards, and 24 hours before my flight I could reassign to a seat in row 2 or 3 depending on availability.

Now that is no more. While it is handy to be able to get a seat in the pointy end (especially if you don't have luggage to collect) is it really worth an extra $10 ($20 return)?

I don't think so - what do others think?

Can any other FF shed any light on this? Is it an experiment that will go away in a few weeks/months? Or is JQ being greedy and morphing into Tiger/Ryanair where any perceived benefit has a $$ value?

 

[BAM1748]

Maybe the food choice runs out by row 40......:mrgreen:

 

[dajop]

Frequent Flyers who use Jetstar on domestic routes may have noticed when you book online you can now fork out an extra 10 bucks for an 'up-front' seat - WOW!!!

Also applies to Jetstar Asia flights as well.

A watchout for those who had allocated "upfront" seats before this came into being. This weekend gone by I flew SIN-PNH-SIN, and on my PNH-SIN sector I had allocated myself 4C at booking (and indeed was still there when I got a reminder email a week before travel). When I checked my booking on Friday (day before travel to see if could do OLCI) I noticed I was reallocated to 23A.... 23 wasn't the problem, but I'm not a big fan of being squished into the window! I guess they needed my previous seat to sell for $10.

 

[Nigelinoz]

I may well be wrong (I quite often am,lol) but I think DJ have been selling "Blue Zone" seats for some time, (I think they are over wing though)and I'm pretty sure they charge $25.00 for a short haul flight and $35.00 for a "medium" haul ,whatever that is,flight.
So JQ are obviously just getting in on the act.

 

[swylie]

It's a shame Jetstar isn't using seating allocation as a source of reward for frequent flyers - but then again, they are a LCC.

If I had to fly Jetstar, I'd pay $10 more for a seat at the front. The sooner I can get off the plane the better.

That said, it does seem a bit cheeky, and perhaps going too far... but they'll do whatever they can get away with, it would seem.

 

[markis10]

I may well be wrong (I quite often am,lol) but I think DJ have been selling "Blue Zone" seats for some time, (I think they are over wing though)and I'm pretty sure they charge $25.00 for a short haul flight and $35.00 for a "medium" haul ,whatever that is,flight.
So JQ are obviously just getting in on the act.

Exit row seating is a bit different to upfront seating being discussed here, which is what Blue Zone offers with the extra leg room.

 

[bossreggie]

I have a JQ MEL-ADL in June.

I paid the extra $10 each way. I agree the quicker I can get off the plane the better.

I would not have bothered if I was checking in any luggage.

 

[munitalP]

The last time I flew JQ, the check in person told me that those on JetFlex (as I always fly) will be allocated front of aircraft seating by default due to the additional fare cost - maybe this is the start of it?

I hope so, I hate seeing the $35 fares in row 1 and 2 while I get row 17!

Also - I am trying hard to find how this is a "RIP OFF" - maybe a Mod could change the thread title a little...

Mr!

 

[gilby08]

Remember it is a LCC, people will pay for these seats, regardless of what you think, otherwise they wouldn't sell the product..

I reckon JQ will start charging Saver Lite fares a seat allocation fee soon! But then again people will pay for it and it is a LCC.

 

[djfuzz]

Remember it is a LCC, people will pay for these seats, regardless of what you think, otherwise they wouldn't sell the product..

I reckon JQ will start charging Saver Lite fares a seat allocation fee soon! But then again people will pay for it and it is a LCC.

Seems a bit silly really - nothing at all like exit seats IMHO.

Here's the thing - if I were flying an LCC, I'd be looking to limit my costs as much as possible. So I wouldn't be forking out for any additional extras they throw at me - certainly not simply for the 'privilege' of saving five minutes in getting off the plane earlier on a domestic flight (probably even international). I wouldn't think that's an unusual attitude for LCC flyers given the very nature of the business - if I wanted to get off a plane early and have a decent seat, I'd be flying a full service carrier.

So if there's a plane full of people like me, none of whom will pay for seat allocation / up front seats, then what do they do with these seats they're trying to push at a premium? It almost becomes like a quasi op-up situation - they can't force people to pay extra for them, and if they put people in those seats for free, then why would anyone pay for them in the future?

 

[drron]

DJ have also changed in the last 6 months or so.Not only blue zone now but pay extra for upfront.If you do OLCI on DJ now only a choice for row 10 and back-so I select row 23,24 and first out the back anyway!

 

[dajop]

If I had to fly Jetstar, I'd pay $10 more for a seat at the front. The sooner I can get off the plane the better.

Yes Ok, say jetstar is offering rows 2-4 at this extra rate, would you pay $10 extra if a seat in row 6 or 7 was available at that time for allocation, and therefore saving you only perhaps 30 secs, or rows 10 which would save you maybe 90 seconds ?

Obviously there is a market for this so that's good if it provides another revenue source to cap base fares. However, IMHO, complete waste of money - especially domestically, what's 5 min savings in getting off the plane, there is more than ample variation in actual vs schedule that 5mins extra in disembarking is trivial, especially on an LCC, where I wouldn't be relying on it for making any committments <2hrs from landing.

The only reason I would consider this is internationally - for arrivals at airports where immigration can be time consuming - ie. where 5 minutes extra to disembark the plane could translate to 30mins queuing at the immigration counter.

 

[samh004]

Also - I am trying hard to find how this is a "RIP OFF" - maybe a Mod could change the thread title a little…

Ditto.

It’s just like paying for an exit row seat, yet on one side you’re actually not getting any extra leg room, but you are at the front.

What’s the problem? You’re upset because a LCC wont let you sit anywhere you want? Seriously? :shock:

On Qantas flights usually the first 4 rows are blocked off for high status FF’s. Are you going to complain about that too? That as a regular person you should be able to claim seat 1A (on all economy) because you’ve paid the lowest amount for a seat?

Sure, it’s a good rant, but it’s no different to most other airlines, LCC or full service, you either pay to be near the front, of you’re high status.

 

[dajop]

DJ have also changed in the last 6 months or so.Not only blue zone now but pay extra for upfront.If you do OLCI on DJ now only a choice for row 10 and back-so I select row 23,24 and first out the back anyway!

Not familiar with DJ in the last 6 months, but certainly when I was travelling a bit on DJ (>12 mths ago) the front 10 rows (other than the Y+ seats) could always be selected free of charge during OLCI when travelling on Flexible or Corporate Plus fares, but NEVER if travelling on Blue Saver or Sale fares. If lucky sometimes could allocate front rows at check in at the airport on lower fares.

 

[flyer4703]

I have paid for a seat close to the front on Jetstar, it is a real advantage if you fly into somewhere like Mackay for the day and don't have checked bags.

I can be off the plane and into a taxi before passengers further back are even in the terminal.

If you miss out on the first wave of taxis at Mackay you can waste thirty to forty five minutes on a bad day before there are more taxis back at the airport .

I don't think it is fair to call it a rip off they advertise it's availablility, you can choose to pay if you think it's of value to you or you can just pay the regular fare and sit a bit further back.

 

[dajop]

I reckon JQ will start charging Saver Lite fares a seat allocation fee soon! But then again people will pay for it and it is a LCC.

Tiger does have a seat allocation fee of $5 per flight domestically in Australia ($7 on flights to PER). So JQ probably aren't that far behind.

Out of Singapore Tiger have graded seating allocation fees from $3 to $30 depending on where in plane and length of flight (the higher fees for exit rows, and higher for longer flights). Air Asia also charge $2.20SGD for ordinary seats and $11SGD for those at front of plane and exit rows. Am comfortable paying $2.20 (about $1.90 AUD) but not $5.

 

[drron]

I have paid for a seat close to the front on Jetstar, it is a real advantage if you fly into somewhere like Mackay for the day and don't have checked bags.

I can be off the plane and into a taxi before passengers further back are even in the terminal.

If you miss out on the first wave of taxis at Mackay you can waste thirty to forty five minutes on a bad day before there are more taxis back at the airport .

I don't think it is fair to call it a rip off they advertise it's availablility, you can choose to pay if you think it's of value to you or you can just pay the regular fare and sit a bit further back.

Actually it was into MKY that I noticed this-so had row 24-first out the back and first into terminal-yep those taxis can be hard to get.

 

[dajop]

If I can be off the plane and into a taxi before passengers further back are even in the terminal.

If you miss out on the first wave of taxis at Mackay you can waste thirty to forty five minutes on a bad day before there are more taxis back at the airport .

Aah I see the value in this as well, CBR is like this too (not that JQ fly to CBR), and it is just like immigration delays at international terminals where 5 mins can translate into 30mins or longer. But what about in the other direction at BNE? I know at SYD/MEL it probably wouldn't be much use as there's a good chance another plane (or 5) could have landed just ahead of you anyway !

 

[ksthommo]

So that's why I got bumped from my preallocated 4D
to down the back the other weekend. Quick exit from the rear anyway if
they are using the stairs.

 

[albatross710]

I recently paid for the front row seats. The deal was so cheap anyway from NQ to BNE. I think I wouldn't have had they not been 1st row.