Jetstar facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Jetstar

A Jetstar Airbus A321neo
Founded	2003; 22 years ago (2003)
Commenced operations	25 May 2004; 21 years ago (2004-05-25)
AOC #	CASA.AOC.0005
Operating bases	Adelaide Auckland Brisbane Cairns Denpasar Gold Coast Melbourne Perth Sydney
Frequent-flyer program	Qantas Frequent Flyer
Fleet size	90
Destinations	40
Parent company	Qantas
Headquarters	Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Key people	Stephanie Tully (CEO)
Revenue	A$3.636 billion (2015/2016)
Operating income	A$452 million (2015/2016)

Jetstar is an Australian airline that offers flights at lower prices. It is based in Melbourne, Victoria. Jetstar is fully owned by Qantas, a larger Australian airline.

Qantas created Jetstar to offer a cheaper option for travelers. Qantas has two main brands: Qantas Airways for full-service flights and Jetstar for budget-friendly travel. Jetstar flies to many places within Australia and also to other countries. Its main hub is at Melbourne Airport. The airline uses a mix of Airbus A320 family planes and Boeing 787 Dreamliners. Jetstar is also connected to other airlines like Jetstar Asia Airways and Jetstar Japan.

Jetstar's Journey: How It Started and Grew

Jetstar was created by Qantas in 2001. It was meant to be a low-cost airline for flights within Australia. Jetstar started flying passengers on May 25, 2004. Soon after, in December 2005, it began offering international flights to Christchurch, New Zealand.

Jetstar's main office is in Collingwood, Victoria, near the center of Melbourne. In 2006, Jetstar became the first Australian airline to let customers pick their seats when booking.

Expanding Across Asia

Jetstar also expanded into Asia. Jetstar Asia Airways started flying from Singapore in December 2004. Qantas owns part of Jetstar Asia. In July 2006, Jetstar and Jetstar Asia joined forces under one "Jetstar" brand. This made it easier to book flights for both airlines online.

In 2007, Qantas bought a share in Pacific Airlines in Vietnam. This airline later became Jetstar Pacific in 2008.

Jetstar also planned to make Darwin International Airport an international hub. This meant more planes would be based there. However, the Darwin base closed in May 2014.

Flights to New Zealand

In April 2009, Jetstar started daily flights from Auckland to the Gold Coast and Sydney. In June 2009, Jetstar began flying within New Zealand. It offered flights between Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Queenstown. Jetstar took over these routes from another Qantas airline called Jetconnect.

In June 2015, Jetstar announced it would start regional flights in New Zealand. These flights began in December 2015. They used smaller planes called Bombardier Dash 8s. The new destinations included Napier, Nelson, New Plymouth, and Palmerston North. However, Jetstar stopped all its regional routes in New Zealand in November 2019 because they were not making money.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, Jetstar stopped its New Zealand flights. They started flying again in September 2020 after rules about physical distancing on planes were removed.

In May 2024, a Jetstar plane slid off the runway at Christchurch Airport due to a steering problem. The Civil Aviation Authority investigated the event.

How Jetstar Connects with People

Marketing and Slogans

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

TV Show About Jetstar

The Nine Network aired a TV show called Going Places starting in October 2007. This show followed the daily lives of Jetstar staff at Melbourne airport. It showed what happened with check-in staff and new international workers.

Sports Sponsorships

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 on it to show this partnership.

Where Jetstar Flies

Countries served by Jetstar as of April 2025

Jetstar Airways has agreements with other airlines to share flights. This means you can sometimes book a Jetstar flight as part of a trip with another airline. As of 2024, Jetstar has these agreements with:

• American Airlines
• Emirates
• Fiji Airways
• Finnair
• Japan Airlines
• Jeju Air
• Jin Air
• LATAM Chile
• LOT Polish Airlines
• Qantas

Jetstar's Fleet: The Planes They Use

Current Aircraft

As of June 2025, Jetstar uses these planes:

Future Plans for the Fleet

Airbus A320-200

Airbus A321-200

Airbus A321LR

Boeing 787-8

In October 2011, Qantas ordered many new Airbus A320 planes. Some of these were for Jetstar. In 2014, Qantas ordered even more A320s.

In 2018, some of these orders were changed to the larger A321LR planes. This allowed Jetstar to use its Boeing 787s on other routes. In June 2019, Qantas Group ordered more A321XLR and A321LR planes. Jetstar received its first A321LR in July 2022.

In November 2023, Jetstar announced big plans to update its 11 Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner planes starting in late 2025. These updates will include new seats in both business and economy class. Business class will have more seats. The planes will also get Wi-Fi and a new paint design to match the A321LR planes.

Planes Jetstar Used to Fly

Jetstar used to operate these aircraft:

Airbus A330-200

Boeing 717-200

De Havilland Canada Dash 8-300

What It's Like to Fly with Jetstar

Inside the Plane

Interior of a Jetstar Boeing 787-8

On its Boeing 787 international flights, Jetstar offers two types of seating:

Business Class

Jetstar's Business Class is on its Boeing 787 planes. This cabin has 21 leather seats. Passengers get meals, drinks, and in-flight entertainment. They can also bring more luggage. Business Max tickets include access to Qantas Club lounges and earn Qantas Frequent Flyer points.

Economy Class

In Economy Class, you can buy meals and drinks during your flight.

Entertainment on Board

Jetstar has its own magazine called Jetstar. In November 2011, Jetstar was the first airline to offer iPads as entertainment devices. 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 on the back of the seats.

Jetstar's Boeing 787 planes have 10-inch screens in business class and 9-inch screens in economy class. Business Class passengers get this entertainment for free. Economy Class passengers can pay to use the screens.

The Jetstar Group: A Family of Airlines

The Qantas Group owns Jetstar Airways in Australia. It also owns parts of other Jetstar-branded airlines in Asia. This helps Qantas 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 helps Qantas invest less money directly.

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

On June 11, 2025, the group announced that Jestar Asia would close at the end of July 2025. It had been operating for 21 years.

The Jetstar Group is led by CEO Stephanie Tully. The group includes these airlines:

Images for kids

• 

  Jetstar's head office in Collingwood

• 

  A former Jetstar Boeing 717-200 in an earlier paint design (2004)

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  A former Jetstar De Havilland Canada Dash 8-300 at Palmerston North Airport

See also

In Spanish: Jetstar Airways para niños