This was to be our first time on a low cost carrier and it was Adelaide to Denpasar (Bali) and return in the middle of the Volcanic Ash dramas of 2015.
The flight from Adelaide to Bali was 5 hours and the return flight was 4.30 hours. Both flights were direct.
Pro’s:
- The inflight crew on both flights were outstanding, better than most full service airlines we have flown in the past. They were friendly, happy to have a chat, and when we needed them the most (friends we were travelling with had a daughter who was extremely motion sick, poor thing) they were very helpful.
- They provided us with $10 meal vouchers on the way to Bali and then free meals on the way home due to all the inconvenience, which was much appreciated.
The food choice on Jetstar was quite good with a selection of hot sandwiches, pies, chocolate bars, hot noodles and drinks, more than ample for a 5 hour flight. Buying a bottle of water on the plane was cheaper than buying it at the airport.
- There are iPad’s for hire ($10 per flight) with games, movies and TV shows to keep you occupied.
- Surprisingly, there was a lot of headroom in the on-board bathrooms at the back of the plane.
Con’s
- The seats were tight, with very little leg room.
If we were to fly again with Jetstar, we would book early and pay the extra $50 for the exit row seats to get the extra leg room. The seats in the rows in front of the exit row seemed to have a little more leg room, maybe an inch more.
However, the rows behind the exit row were very tight.
- There is no place to put personal belongings in the seat. They do have a small area at the top of the chair in front of you, but it is filled with the Jetstar magazine, inflight menu and safety card, thus leaving no room for book, iPad or water bottle.
Also, the area is made of hard plastic and is not flexible, so can not fit a water bottle in there, in any case.
As a rating, we would give:
Seat: 1/5
Legroom: 1/5
Inflight service: 4/5
All in all, our experience was better than we had anticipated, and was a pleasant surprise.