Jetstar facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Jetstar Airways

Founded	2003; 22 years ago (2003)
AOC #	CASA.AOC.0005
Operating bases	Adelaide Auckland Brisbane Cairns Gold Coast Melbourne Denpasar Perth Sydney
Frequent-flyer program	Qantas Frequent Flyer
Fleet size	81
Destinations	38
Parent company	Qantas (100%)
Headquarters	Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Key people	Stephanie Tully (CEO)
Revenue	A$3.636 billion (2015/2016)
Operating income	A$452 million (2015/2016)

Jetstar Airways, often just called Jetstar, is an Australian airline. It's known for offering flights at lower prices, which is why it's called a low-cost airline. Its main office is in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Jetstar is fully owned by Qantas, which is a much larger airline. Qantas created Jetstar to offer flights for people looking for cheaper tickets. This way, Qantas has two main brands: Qantas for full-service flights and Jetstar for budget-friendly travel. In 2015, Jetstar carried about 8.5% of all passengers flying into and out of Australia.

The airline flies to many places within Australia. It also has flights to other countries and regions from its main hub at Melbourne Airport. Jetstar uses different types of planes, including the Airbus A320 family and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Jetstar is part of the Jetstar Group, which also includes airlines like Jetstar Asia Airways and Jetstar Japan.

Jetstar's Journey: A Look at Its History

Jetstar was started by Qantas in 2001. It was meant to be a cheaper option for flights within Australia. Before Jetstar, Qantas had bought another airline called Impulse Airlines. They later changed Impulse Airlines into the Jetstar brand.

Domestic flights (within Australia) began on May 25, 2004. Soon after, in February 2004, tickets for its first flight went on sale. Jetstar started flying to other countries on December 1, 2005, with its first international flight to Christchurch, New Zealand. Even though Qantas owns Jetstar, Jetstar mostly runs its own business.

Jetstar's first main office was near Avalon Airport in Melbourne. It started flying from Avalon Airport in mid-2004. Later, its main office moved to the center of Melbourne.

An Airbus A321-200

A Jetstar Airbus A320-232 VH-VQH with special decals to advertise the Kangaroos Australian Rugby League team and its participation in the 2008 Rugby League World Cup

A Boeing 787 Dreamliner

A Gold Coast Titans liveried Jetstar Airbus A320

Jetstar offers reserved seating on all its flights. On October 4, 2006, it became the first Australian airline to let customers pick their seat when they book. Jetstar Asia Airways, a sister airline, started flying from Singapore to Hong Kong on December 13, 2004. This was Qantas's way of entering the low-cost flight market in Asia. Qantas owns 49% of Jetstar Asia.

On December 1, 2005, Jetstar started flights from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and the Gold Coast to Christchurch in New Zealand. In July 2006, Jetstar and Jetstar Asia joined forces under the "Jetstar" brand. This meant you could book flights for both airlines on Jetstar.com.

Jetstar's headquarters in the Melbourne suburb of Collingwood

In July 2007, Qantas bought a part of Vietnam's Pacific Airlines. This airline was later relaunched as Jetstar Pacific in May 2008.

In August 2008, Jetstar announced plans to make Darwin International Airport an international hub. This meant more Jetstar planes would be based in Darwin. However, in December 2013, Jetstar decided to close its Darwin base. The planes were moved to Adelaide instead.

On April 28, 2009, Jetstar began daily flights from Auckland to the Gold Coast and Sydney. On June 10, 2009, Jetstar started flying within New Zealand. These flights connected Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Queenstown. Jetstar took over these routes from another Qantas airline called Jetconnect.

From February 1, 2011, Jetstar started working with the oneworld alliance. This allows people booking flights with a oneworld member airline to include a Jetstar flight. However, the Jetstar flight must be booked through Qantas.

In August 2011, Qantas announced a new airline called Jetstar Japan. This was a joint project with Japan Airlines and Mitsubishi. Jetstar Japan started flying on July 3, 2012. Another Jetstar airline, Jetstar Hong Kong, was announced in March 2012. This was a partnership with China Eastern Airlines. However, Jetstar Hong Kong never started flying because its license was not approved.

In November 2013, Jetstar moved its main office from Melbourne's city center to the suburb of Collingwood. In February 2014, Jetstar signed an agreement with Emirates Airlines. This continued a partnership that Emirates had with Qantas.

In September 2022, Stephanie Tully became the new CEO of Jetstar.

Jetstar's New Zealand Flights

In June 2015, Jetstar shared plans to start regional flights in New Zealand. These flights began in December 2015. Smaller planes called Bombardier Dash 8s were used for these routes. They were operated by Eastern Australia Airlines, another Qantas airline, but flew under the Jetstar name. Four new cities were chosen first: Napier, Nelson, New Plymouth, and Palmerston North. All these cities had flights to Auckland. Nelson also had flights to Wellington.

In November 2019, Jetstar announced it would stop all its regional routes in New Zealand. This was because these routes were not making money.

In March 2020, Jetstar stopped its New Zealand flights because of the global COVID-19 pandemic. On August 15, Jetstar stopped its domestic flights in New Zealand again. This was due to new social distancing rules after a second outbreak in Auckland. Jetstar faced some criticism for not offering cash refunds to passengers. Instead, they offered travel vouchers or allowed people to change their flight dates.

In September 2020, Jetstar announced it would start domestic flights in New Zealand again. This happened after the New Zealand Government removed the physical distancing rules on planes.

Where Jetstar Flies: Destinations and Partners

Jetstar flies to many places. You can see the countries it serves on the map.

Countries served by Jetstar as of March 2024

Sharing Flights with Other Airlines

Jetstar Airways has agreements with other airlines to share flights. This is called a codeshare agreement. It means you can book a flight with one airline, but actually fly on a plane operated by another. As of 2024, Jetstar shares flights with these airlines:

Jetstar's Aircraft: The Fleet

Current Aircraft

As of April 2024, Jetstar uses these types of aircraft:

New Planes for the Future

In 2011, Qantas ordered many new Airbus A320 planes. Some of these were for Jetstar airlines. Over the years, some of these orders were changed to different models, like the A321LR and A321XLR. These new planes will help Jetstar fly to more places and offer better service.

In July 2022, Jetstar received its first A321LR plane. In November 2023, Jetstar announced a big update for its 11 Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner planes. This update will start in late 2025. The planes will get new seats, including more business class seats, Wi-Fi, and a fresh new paint job.

Past Aircraft Jetstar Used

Jetstar used to fly these aircraft:

• 

  Airbus A330-200

• 

  Boeing 717-200

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  Bombardier Dash 8-300

Jetstar's Marketing and Sponsors

From 2004 to 2006, actress Magda Szubanski played Jetstar's mascot, Julie The Jetstar Girl, in their ads. Jetstar's advertising slogan is "All day every day low fares." Later, the slogan changed to "It's All About Choice / Fly Away" and then "Low Fares, Good Time."

Jetstar Airways was a main sponsor for the National Rugby League team, the Gold Coast Titans, from 2008 to 2012. In July 2008, Jetstar Airways became the official airline of the Australian national rugby league team. One of its planes even had special pictures to show this partnership.

What to Expect on a Jetstar Flight: In-flight Service

On all domestic flights, Jetstar offers a single class of service. You can buy food and drinks on board.

On international flights using the Boeing 787, Jetstar offers two types of service:

Business Class

Jetstar has Business Class on its B787-8 planes. The Business Class cabin has 21 comfortable leather seats. These seats are set up in a 2-3-2 layout. This service includes all meals and drinks, in-flight entertainment, and a larger baggage allowance. Business Max tickets also give you access to Qantas Club lounges where available. You can also earn Qantas Frequent Flyer points.

Economy Class

In Economy Class, you can buy meals and drinks on the plane. You can also pre-order your meals before your flight.

Movies and Games on Your Flight

Seat-back videos in the economy class section of Jetstar's Boeing 787

Jetstar has its own magazine that you can read on board. In November 2011, Jetstar was the first airline to offer passengers iPads for entertainment. These iPads come with movies, games, and magazines. You can rent them on flights longer than two hours in Economy Class. They are free in international Business Class. Some planes also have screens built into the seats.

Jetstar's Boeing 787 planes have entertainment screens in the seats. Business Class has 10-inch screens, and Economy Class has 9-inch screens.

Jetstar on TV: The Television Series

The Nine Network started a TV show called Going Places in October 2007. This eight-part series showed the daily lives of Jetstar staff at Melbourne airport. It followed the stories of check-in staff, flight attendants, and new international workers.

The Jetstar Group: A Family of Airlines

The Qantas Group owns Jetstar Airways in Australia. But it also owns parts of other Jetstar-branded airlines in Asia and the Pacific. These airlines help the Qantas Group grow by reaching more travelers in Asia.

Qantas works with local investors for these airlines. This helps them follow rules about foreign ownership. It also means Qantas doesn't have to put as much money into these airlines.

From 2008 to 2020, the group also included Jetstar Pacific in Vietnam. This airline was partly owned by Vietnam Airlines. However, in July 2020, this airline left the Jetstar Group and changed its name to Pacific Airlines.

The Jetstar Group includes these airlines:

• 

  Jetstar Airways (Australia)

• 

  Jetstar Asia/Valuair (Singapore)

• 

  Jetstar Japan

Stephanie Tully is the CEO of the Jetstar Group.

The Jetstar financial results include Jetstar Airways, Jetstar Asia Airways, and Valuair. Even though Qantas only owns a part of Jetstar Asia Airways and Valuair, they are treated as part of the Qantas Group's finances. Jetstar Pacific Airlines and Jetstar Japan are seen as separate investments.

See also

In Spanish: Jetstar Airways para niños