Jetstar teases new business class points options
Improved seats are coming - and new ways to book them.
Jetstar's a low-cost carrier, so why does it care about business class?
Short answer: we all like a bit of extra comfort, and if we can't afford to book a business seat on a full-service airline, we might still be tempted to do so with Jetstar - especially on international routes.
"Our existing 787 business class offering is extremely popular, so we're doubling the number of business class seats," Jetstar Group CEO Stephanie Tully said while announcing an upgrade of the airline's international
The number of business class seats rises from 21 to 44.
Those seats will include "device holders, a power outlet, headrests and a generous recline" (though just how generous isn't specified).
That's all useful, though it doesn't aspire to the heights offered by Jetstar's parent airline Qantas in its business class options.
Jetstar will also offer in-flight Wi-Fi on those services, which I'll bet won't be free.
But the little detail that really jumped out at me from the announcement was this sentence: "Jetstar will also develop new ways for customers including Club Jetstar members to book a business seat."
Club Jetstar is Jetstar's subscription service.
For $55 a year, you get early access to sales, member-only fares for some routes, and discounted fees for seat selections and extra baggage.
Even just flying domestically, I've found that I save more from being in Club Jetstar than membership costs.
There are a few ways Jetstar might tie Club Jetstar into business bookings.
It could offer lower business fares on some routes.
It could also make business seats available in sales for Club Jetstar members before the general public.
The other interesting possibility is that Jetstar might broaden the ways Qantas Points can be used to book business seats.
You can use Qantas Points to book Jetstar services, but international routes don't often show up.
You can also pay to earn Qantas Points on Jetstar flights. In my analysis that's not worthwhile for most domestic flights, but it might make more sense on international services.
All these changes won't be happening for a while.
Jetstar's fleet revamp won't start until late 2025.
But with competition rising locally from Bonza and most international airlines returning to full capacity in 2024, it doesn't hurt for it to be laying out its future plans early.
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