Jetstar

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For the aircraft, see Lockheed JetStar. For Jetstar's sister airline, see Jetstar Asia Airways, Jetstar Pacific or Valuair.

For other uses, see Jet Star (disambiguation).
Jetstar Airways
File:Jetstar logo.png
IATA ICAO Callsign
JQ JST JETSTAR
Founded2004
HubsMelbourne International Airport (Tullamarine)
Secondary hubsKingsford Smith International Airport (Sydney)
Brisbane International Airport
Newcastle Airport
Focus citiesLaunceston Airport
Hobart International Airport
Gold Coast Airport
Sunshine Coast Airport
Frequent-flyer programQantas Frequent Flyer
Fleet size33 [1] (+89 orders, 40 Options)
Destinations30
Parent companyQantas Airways Limited
HeadquartersMelbourne, Victoria, Australia
Key peopleAlan Joyce (CEO)
Websitewww.jetstar.com.au

Jetstar Airways is a low-cost airline based in Melbourne, Australia. It is a subsidiary of Qantas, created in response to the threat posed by low-cost airline Virgin Blue. It operates an extensive domestic network and regional and some international services. Its main base is Melbourne Airport.[2] It has a sister operation called Jetstar Asia/Valuair which has an extensive operation through out Asia. In the near future Jetstar Asia will team up with 30% Qantas owned Pacific Airlines to provide new destinations in Vietnam, flying the Ho Chi Minh City-Singapore route. It took over the Singapore-Darwin-Cairns route previously operated by Jetstar Asia from 1 February 2008.

History

The airline was established by Qantas in 2003 as a low-cost domestic subsidiary. Qantas had previously acquired Impulse Airlines and relaunched the airline under the Jetstar brand.[2] Domestic passenger services began on 25 May 2004, soon after the sale of tickets for her inaugural flight in February 2004. International services to Christchurch, New Zealand, commenced on 1 December 2005. Although owned by Qantas, its management operates largely independent of Qantas through the company formerly known as Impulse Airlines - an airline acquired by Qantas on 20 November 2001.

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, when baggage connectivity and connecting services were added as a service offering for Domestic flights connecting with International flights only.

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.[3]

The first flight of 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 on its home ground. Qantas has only a 42.5% stake in Jetstar Asia's ownership. (See Jetstar Asia Airways)

On December 1 2005, Jetstar commenced operations from 4 Australian cities Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast to Christchurch in New Zealand. On December 7 2005, it was announced that Jetstar would establish the world's first global low cost airline flying initially to destinations within 10 hours of Australia, but later to operate to Europe and the Americas. At the end of 2005, it was announced that Jetstar would fly to Perth, Western Australia, from Geelong's Avalon Airport.

In July 2006, Jetstar and Jetstar Asia were brought together under the Jetstar brand.[4] Jetstar, Jetstar Asia Airways and Valuair customers now make all online bookings through Jetstar.com.

A Jetstar Airbus A320 taking off at Launceston Airport.
A Jetstar Airbus A320 at Kingsford Smith International Airport in Sydney, Australia.

Destinations

Main article: Jetstar destinations

Jetstar Airways operate scheduled flights between 21 Australian destinations:

Possible Future Routes

Currently, Jetstar is investigating a number of new routes which include:

Fleet

Jetstar Airways Fleet (as of March 2008) [1]
Aircraft # Seats Notes
Airbus A320-200 26 (58 on order) 177 VH-JQG/L/X and VH-VQG to VH-VQZ
7 of these aircraft will be delivered from November 2007. The other 51 of these will be delivered from February 2008.
Jetstar has also 40 options and purchase rights.
Some of the aircraft are flying the Sydney/Brisbane/Melbourne/Gold Coast-Christchurch International Route.
1 aircraft is flying the Cairns-Darwin-Singapore route (codeshare with Jetstar Asia).
Airbus A321-200 1 (16 on order) 213 The first of which would be delivered on 23 February, 2008. Used on Australian Domestic (Cairns - Melbourne), Long Haul (Darwin, Perth to Asia).
Airbus A330-200 6 303 First four aircraft for Jetstar International (VH-EBA to VH-EBD) have been transferred from Qantas.
VH-EBE and VH-EBF were delivered new from Airbus but are leased from their parent Qantas.
2 of the Aircraft are currently flying the 10 times weekly Cairns-Osaka-Nagoya Route.
Boeing 787-8 (15 on order) 250+ To be used on Australian Domestic, Long Haul Routes (Europe, US West Coast Expansion).
Following Boeing delays, the arrival of the first Dreamliner is now scheduled for May 2009.

As of February 2008, Jetstar's average fleet age is 2.7 years.[7]

Previously operated

The launch fleet of Boeing 717s with 125 seats has been replaced with new Airbus A320s, fitted with 177 leather seats. This has since been augmented with the addition of Airbus A330s, operating on international services.

Marketing & Sponsorship

The advertising slogan of Jetstar is "All day every day low fares". Two additional slogans have recently been used in its marketing campaigns; "Let's Fly Jetstar" (2004-2006) & "It's All About Choice / Fly Away" (July 1. 2006-future)

In 2007, Jetstar won the low-cost carrier section of the Skytrax World Airline Awards.[8]

Jetstar Airways is the major sponsor of the Gold Coast Titans rugby league team.

Jetstar Airways is the major sponsor of Australia's #1 mid-morning show The Morning Show, which is shown on Channel Seven and its part of Seven News. The Morning Show is now hosted by Wheel Of Fortune host Larry Emdur and Sportsworld host Kylie Gillies.

The Gold Coast Titans Jetstar A320 VH-VQP

Incidents

Since commencing operation, the airline has encountered two in-flight incidents:

  • On July 23, 2007 Jetstar flight JQ30 flying from Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi to Melbourne International Airport was forced to make an emergency landing at Bali/Denpasar (DPS) after an in-flight diagnostic shut down engine 1. The Airbus A330-200 VH-EBE was only three weeks old, and Jetstar is investigating the cause of the issue with Airbus. [9]
  • On September 25, 2007 10 passengers became ill on a flight from Melbourne to Honolulu. The passengers, 3 seated in Starclass and the remainder in Economy, became sick within 2 and 4 1/2 hours into the flight. One of the passengers was taken to hospital on arrival in Honolulu and the remainder held in quarantine. No link between the food service and the mystery illness has been established.[10]

Lawsuits and legal action

In 2003, Qantas Airways Ltd, announced the creation of Jetstar Airways. However, a virtual airline named Jetstar International Airlines already existed, complete with a web site. As part of their startup promotion, Qantas sold 100,000 airline tickets for $29, and the virtual airline's web site was swamped with would-be customers, job-seekers, and prospective vendors. The virtual airline sued Qantas, claiming that Qantas stole the virtual airline's livery and trademark.[11] This is the first known case of a real world airline using a virtual airline's trademarks and intellectual property.

Discrimination Controversy

On December 13, 2007, Mr Willy Law, a wheelchair-bound man, was barred from a flight from Hong Kong to Singapore. The airline explained that since he is unable to walk on his own and he could not be helped by others. This would cause problems if the plane landed in an airport without an air bridge, and the passengers needed to use the stairs to get on or off the plane. No refund was given. Mr Law needed to purchase tickets on another airline to his destination. The other airlines do not have the same regulations against people with disabilities.[12]

Criticism & Complaints

Some criticisms have been levelled against Jetstar's cost based operational model.

In February 2008, Jetstar was forced to cancel many flights due to inclement weather in Sydney. Despite these uncontrollable cancellations, Jetstar did not provide accommodation. Given Sydney's domestic terminal curfew, stranded passengers were removed from the terminal by airport security. A Jetstar spokesperson later said that they do not provide any accommodation due to inclement weather, as they cannot control it and shifted blame for the mishandling of passengers toward Sydney Airport.

Television series

Main article: Going Places (Australian TV series)

The Nine Network began airing the series Going Places from October 2007. The 8-part series depicts the everyday lives of selected staff members of Jetstar, Sydney and Melbourne airport staff. The show follows the dramas of the check-in staff, mid-flight staff, and the induction program for new international recruits.

They also give away 2 return tickets to the destination of their choice each week.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Qantas FAQ
  2. ^ a b "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 2007-04-03. p. 98.
  3. ^ "Jetstar to move to allocated seating" (PDF) (Press release). Jetstar Airways. 19 June2006. {{cite press release}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ "Jetstar move to single brand and distribution approach to support growth in Asia" (PDF) (Press release). Jetstar Airways. 26 July 2006. {{cite press release}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ "Jetstar keen to add new routes". The Star. Retrieved 2008-02-18.
  6. ^ "Jetstar to Drop Melbourne Flights to Hawaii". The Age. Retrieved 2008-04-09.
  7. ^ Jetstar Airways Fleet Age
  8. ^ Jetstar wins Best Low-Cost Airline Award for 2007
  9. ^ http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/07/23/1185042982638.html
  10. ^ http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22483269-2862,00.html
  11. ^ http://www.bandt.com.au/news/e3/0c0201e3.asp
  12. ^ Wheelchair traveller barred from flight

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jetstar&oldid=205148241"