Qantas vs. Jetstar Domestic

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Qantas

Jetstar Airways

• 

  trustnoone on 28/11/2019 - 00:29

  but would I pay over twice as much for it?

  It kind of depends on how things go, while random flights you can see a big difference in price, for the most part, I've found Qantas and Jetstar to be pretty comparable. I'm unsure the reason but Jetstar usually I only see cheaper when there's a deal going on.

  In saying that, I always found the issue with Jetstar is if something goes wrong. For example if you have a flight, do carry on, small domestic trip, Jetstar is actually pretty good. But the moment anything is out of place then I feel they try to take you for all you have.

  Also probably worth keeping in mind that you can get good Qantas flights if you check beforehand, for example, the domestic one I usually get is 3 hours and I have wifi, screens, food, movies etc and the cost is the same as if I took a flight without all that.

  But I guess like most things depends on your needs, price and some luck.

  • 

    p1 ama on 28/11/2019 - 00:46

    I'm unsure the reason but Jetstar usually I only see cheaper when there's a deal going on.

    But that's the entire point though. If I'm paying out of my own pocket for travel, I'll just keep a lookout for Jetstar deals and call it a day. Maybe for a 3 - 4 hour flight, I'd consider Qantas, but for a 1 hour MEL-SYD hop, I just can't justify it.

    In saying that, I always found the issue with Jetstar is if something goes wrong. For example if you have a flight, do carry on, small domestic trip, Jetstar is actually pretty good. But the moment anything is out of place then I feel they try to take you for all you have.

    I agree - the support I've received from Qantas has always been far better than Jetstar, but again, I'm not saying that Jetstar is the same as Qantas, just whether the premium is worth it.

    Also probably worth keeping in mind that you can get good Qantas flights if you check beforehand, for example, the domestic one I usually get is 3 hours and I have wifi, screens, food, movies etc and the cost is the same as if I took a flight without all that.

    Is this a flight from Perth to the east coast? Qantas use the A330 on that route, which is basically a wide-body "international" plane that they also fly to places like Singapore. On routes only on the east coast, Qantas use the B737 (only very rarely the A330), which is a narrow-body smaller aircraft. The A330 is much better than the B737.

    But I guess like most things depends on your needs, price and some luck.

    For sure!

    • 

      bombaman on 28/11/2019 - 01:14

      Qantas still use the 737's for Perth <-> East Coast flights, when these are scheduled its usually best to avoid them. J and Y are both terrible on the Qantas config for anything over 2 hours. Especially if you spend the points for an upgrade to a glorified lounge chair that only partially reclines.

      I haven't flown JetStar's J config, but for the price in Y I rate the offering well in excess of say, Tiger (will never fly Tiger again). Probably comparable to say Virgin's offering (though I haven't flown Virgin in a few years).

      • 

        p1 ama on 28/11/2019 - 01:28

        J and Y are both terrible on the Qantas config for anything over 2 hours. Especially if you spend the points for an upgrade to a glorified lounge chair that only partially reclines.

        I agree, I flew Qantas PE for over 10 hours recently and it's surprisingly better than domestic J on the B737. For 5,900 points though, J on the B737 is still far, far better than Y. I'd pay that difference any day.

        I think Qantas are retiring their B737's soon, I hope they move over to using bigger aircraft for the more popular routes. MEL-SYD is one of the most flown routes in the world.

        I haven't flown JetStar's J config, but for the price in Y I rate the offering well in excess of say, Tiger (will never fly Tiger again). Probably comparable to say Virgin's offering (though I haven't flown Virgin in a few years).

        Jetstar don't have J in domestic, their J in international is comparable to Qantas J in domestic. I'd say Jetstar international J is similar (though not as good) as Qantas Premium Economy or thereabouts.

        Virgin Y is similar to Qantas Y, but I'd say Qantas' ground game is better than Virgin's. Qantas Club in Sydney is nice, Virgin lounge in Sydney is too crowded and cramped.

  • 

    Seraphin7 on 28/11/2019 - 09:20

    In saying that, I always found the issue with Jetstar is if something goes wrong. For example if you have a flight, do carry on, small domestic trip, Jetstar is actually pretty good. But the moment anything is out of place then I feel they try to take you for all you have.

    This is the primary thought in my mind. I get the feeling that Qantas will make greater efforts to help you out if something goes wrong, particularly in terms of getting you on the next available flight. With Jetstar, you get the feeling that if something goes wrong, you'll get some baloney like we can't get you on another flight for two days.

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  Donaldhump on 28/11/2019 - 01:07

  i'll fly tiger to save $5

  in all seriousness the flights are generally the same imho, i dont take much noice of plane type and if under 1 to 2 hours doesnt bother me.

  just don't fly tiger, fellow passengers are a higher proportion of ferrals, and cancellation rate sucks

• 

  vetopower on 28/11/2019 - 01:24

  Is it worth the price difference? Probably not, especially if you are an irregular traveller.

  However, if you are a regular traveller, there are some advantages to Qantas:
  - Easy access to lounges (Jetstar is in a different terminal in SYD/MEL)
  - More flights (easier to get on another flight if your flight is cancelled/delayed)
  - Guaranteed status credit earn (have to pay more for that on Jetstar)
  - Slightly better passengers (more likely to have to sit next to the great unwashed or a screaming baby on Jetstar)
  - Free Wifi on many flights

  • 

    p1 ama on 28/11/2019 - 01:55

    • Easy access to lounges (Jetstar is in a different terminal in SYD/MEL)

    This I can vouch for - but lounges are mostly for international travel or for transiting for me. Domestic, I just rock up an hour before boarding, go through security, grab a coffee and by the time I'm at the gate, it's just a 15 min wait.

    • More flights (easier to get on another flight if your flight is cancelled/delayed)

    Maybe on some more obscure routes, SYD-MEL there's flights every 30 mins or so on any airline.

    • Guaranteed status credit earn (have to pay more for that on Jetstar)

    Yes, this is true, but the overwhelming majority of my SC earn is long haul international, not MEL-SYD hops.

    • Slightly better passengers (more likely to have to sit next to the great unwashed or a screaming baby on Jetstar)

    Yeah, generally more business travellers. I don't mind babies, we were all babies once and I'm sure plenty of people had to put up with our screaming, so I find it a bit too high-minded to complain about this - I listen to music on flights anyway, so I don't really care about noise.

    I do hate inconsiderate passengers though. People who push and shove in line always bug me.

    • 

      vetopower on 28/11/2019 - 05:31

      I would add that the question you are asking is largely moot.

      You have to remember that most of the people flying between MEL and SYD on Qantas with any regularity are not paying their own airfares (their employer/client is), so they don't care about the price difference, just the perks of flying Qantas that I mentioned above.

      • 

        p1 ama on 28/11/2019 - 13:22

        I would add that the question you are asking is largely moot.

        If anything, I'm just disappointed in Qantas cost-cutting over the past two years or so. We used to get a decent meal up to Sydney, then it was cut to a "light meal", which was still fine, but now it's just a "refreshment", and I got a large cookie. The cookie was fine, but let's be honest, it's not a meal.

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  brad1-8tsi on 28/11/2019 - 08:15

  SYD-MEL I aim for Virgin, jetstar, QF in that order. Tiger doesn't get a look in.

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  capslock on 28/11/2019 - 10:50

  No, the extra benefits on Qantas is usually not worth it but just like with most goods and services a lot of people are happy to pay more for a brand name.

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  [Deactivated] on 28/11/2019 - 11:53

  +1

  Shitstar is unbelievably bad on specific routes.
  e.g. Brisbane/Cairns and vice versa.

  • 

    singlemalt72 on 28/11/2019 - 12:10

    +1

    I was on the very first Jetsar BNE-CNS flight and it was wonderful - brand new plane, such great service.
    Flew it 6 months later and it was appalling.

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  SirFlibbled on 28/11/2019 - 23:02

  It's a 1 hour flight… Not worth 6,000 QFF points. I do a far bit of flying and other than flights to Perth and Darwin, I never bother upgrading to business. It's just not worth it.

  For leisure domestic, I'll fly with whoever is cheapest. Although if I go to Brisbane, I fly home Qantas because my inlaws insist on dropping me off 3 hours before the flight and at least I have lounge access.

  But if I really have to be somewhere on time, I never book Jetstar or Tiger.