Airline review: Jetstar business class
THE ROUTE Melbourne to Phuket.
THE LOYALTY SCHEME None unless you pay an additional $200 for a Business Max bundle,
which earns points with Qantas Frequent Flyer or Emirates Skywards Miles
and gives access to the Qantas Club lounge.
CLASS Business class, seat 3C (aisle).
DURATION Eight hours and 50 minutes.
FREQUENCY Jetstar began flying three times a week between Melbourne (Tullamarine) and Phuket on the Dreamliner on February 9.
THE SEAT 38-inch (92.5-centimetre) pitch, 19-inch (48-centimetre) width. There
are just 21 business class seats with a 2-3-2 layout, and it's fully
booked.
BAGGAGE Checked luggage up to 30 kilograms and two carry-on bags, each up to seven kilograms.
COMFORT It's a low-cost carrier, so don't expect lie-flat beds. The grey
leather recliners are like business class of yore: they're broad and tip
back to a snooze-worthy level, though it does become squeezy for the
passenger behind, working on their laptop. The Dreamliner offers decent
27 centimetre (10.6-inch) screens, big overhead lockers that I can
actually reach and windows that are nearly half as big again as other
aircraft. Instead of shades, Dreamliners have an electronic dimmer
which, when the afternoon sun hits the window, turns the cabin a curious
aquamarine colour, surely like snoozing in a fish tank? Despite the
captain's warning of some bumps, the flight is mostly smooth, another
Dreamliner feature.
Jetstar's Dreamliner business class seats. |
ENTERTAINMENT Even at 40,000 feet, you can't escape Two and a Half Men reruns. The new releases selection is extremely modest in size and the "summer blockbuster" section is dated (Avatar was released in 2009). Still, I'm happy with a new Maggie Smith film, My Old Lady,
and even test out the "health videos", a blend of natural sounds,
orchestral music and seascapes of NSW's Wattamolla Beach – a sort of
Enya-meets-Sharon O'Neill clip. I'm very surprised to find the R-rated Game of Thrones
available. I think I've selected one episode without full-frontal
nudity but I'm mistaken. Luckily, there's a bulkhead between me and the
small children behind. I could turn on the "Seat Chat" feature to see if
someone wanted to chat online with me, but perhaps not …
SERVICE We're stuck on the tarmac for 25 minutes awaiting late paperwork, but
it's no hardship in business class, where the Piper-Heidsieck champagne
is making a showing. The flight touches down just a shade off schedule.
Staff are informative (but not too chatty), though obviously still
becoming familiar with the new aircraft's features.
THE VERDICT Jetstar's business class prices reflects the fact that it's a
low-cost carrier, with seats priced from $949 one-way ($399 in economy).
The convenient day flight to Phuket departs 3pm and arrives at 8pm.
However, I pity those who draw the short straw and get the middle seat
in the 2-3-2 formation: it seems to defeat the purpose of flying
business.
This review by Belinda Jackson was published in the Sun-Herald newspaper's Traveller section.
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