TRAVEL | Jetstar operates three daily flights between Perth and Denpasar. The Airbus A320 (“A320”) is currently used on the route, with Economy Class being the sole option. The average flight time for this route is 3 hours and 45 minutes. On this occasion, the flight I was only had favourable winds, and we landed in Bali in 3 hours and 20 minutes.
Check In
Online check-in is not available for international Jetstar flights to or from Australia. Unfortunately the only option is to line up at the check in counter and wait for a staff member to check you in, even if you only have carry on luggage. The process at the counter itself is straight forward, but with everyone on the flight having to join the one line, many of whom have bags to check in, it can take a while to move through.
Luggage
When flying international with Jetstar Economy, your checked luggage allowance will depend on your fare. On the basic Economy Starter fare you can purchase between 20-40kg of checked luggage allowance in 10kg increments. A Plus bundle gets you 20kg with the option to purchase up to 20kg more, and the Max bundle gets you 30kg with an option to purchase up to 10kg more.
For carry-on it’s one main plus one small bag up to 7kg total. On this route, there is no option to purchase additional carry-on allowance.
Service
I had no complaints about the service of the staff at all stages of my flight experience. Staff were friendly and helpful, but not overbearing.
Cabin
The Jetstar Economy cabin on the A320 that flies from Perth to Denpasar features 180 seats, in a 3-3 layout. There are enough flight attendants around so getting the attention of someone should you need assistance isn’t an issue. Colour wise it’s orange, and varying tones of grey, in line with Jetstar’s branding. When it comes to cleanliness, everything nice and clean.
Seat
The leather seat has dimensions of about 74cm x 45cm, on the smaller end of the scale but in line with what you find on most low cost airlines flying this sort of distance. It’s a smaller pitch than what you’ll find on Jetstar’s Dreamliner cabin, but a bit wider. Like any economy seat, it doesn’t recline that far back.
There are small armrests, with both a plastic slot and a mesh compartment for you to place a few things. There’s not much space to get work done with the tray down if you’ve got a laptop, but for a doing a little bit of catching up on admin on a short flight like this it’s fine.
There are no power ports on the plane, so make sure your devices are full charged before you get onto the plane if you intend to use them for the duration of the flight.
You can choose to upgrade to an extra legroom seat, which gets you a considerable increase in legroom, plus room to stand and stretch without bothering anyone, for AUD$32. If you choose the Max bundle, this option is included as part of the fare.
Entertainment
Unlike a lot of low cost carriers, Jetstar’s Economy seats do have seat back screens (22.9cm), however to make use of the entertainment you’ll have to pay AUD$10 to access it. Entertainment is also included with some of the fare bundles that you can pre-purchase before your flight.
There’s a general selection of the latest movies and TV shows from the USA, Japan and elsewhere, plus music and a few radio stations and podcasts. The radio stations are free and don’t require the entertainment bundle. I opted to load my iPad with a few games and movies rather than pay for entertainment so can’t speak to the quality of the headphones that come with the entertainment bundle.
Food
Food isn’t included with Jetstar’s base Starter fares, but you can pre-purchase a meal, or choose from the on-board menu. If you add one of the bundles to your fare you’ll generally get a meal or meal voucher included. Food options include things like salads and sandwiches, noodle bowls and a variety of snacks and drinks – alcoholic and non-alcoholic. If you choose to pre-purchase the options are things like butter chicken and rice, macaroni and cheese, and sandwiches.
The hot options aren’t particularly good. Whenever I fly with Jetstar I tend to make sure I’ve had a good feed before my flight, have a few snacks of my own on the plane, and then eat a meal at my destination. If you do want to eat a meal on the plane, go for one of the cold options like the chicken wrap or sandwich.
Amenities
No amenities are included with the base Starter fare. Given, I assume, the short flight, Jetstar’s $25 ‘international chill kit’ isn’t available for purchase.
Verdict
My Jetstar flight from Perth to Denpasar did exactly what a budget flight should. When I purchase a seat on a low cost carrier the main things I’m looking for is a good flight price, reliability, friendly service and a comfortable seat. All of the other extras I can live without.
For a budget flight clocking in at under four hours, I’d happily do this again. I will note that I’ve had a few issues with Jetstar delays and cancellations this year, but the past few flights I’ve taken with them have gone smoothly, which is encouraging.