Does anyone have a Jetstar Experience na? How was it?
Hi friends saw this Jetstar Airways to Tokyo sale online! Are they good?
As I was eating my breakfast, I saw these tweets from my twitter friends. I knew that Jetstar has these seat sale promos for they’ve been bombarding me with promotional emails that took a lot of strength for me not to check because they’re cheap as fuck. But what surprised me more is that there still a question of familiarity regarding this airline. I’ve tried it before on my Japan trip last 2016, and I even don’t know why some people are still clueless about this airline.
So I tweeted back,
Go for it! It is a low-cost airline so don’t expect Emirates amenities and service. But for a budget airline, they’re good.
FIRST TIME HEARING JETSTAR
It was a January morning in 2016 when my mom told me that she saw a Jetstar Airways to Tokyo seat sale the night before and booked it right away due to excitement. My sleepy brain took minutes to register all the information, but once it did, my eyes are sparkling with excitement. Who wouldn’t even? Japan, for free??
“Cebu Pacific?” My clueless as$ asked. Don’t blame me. That time I only knew one budget airline – Cebu Pacific.
“Jetstar Airways”
“What’s that?” It was my first time hearing it.
My dad butted in saying that Jetstar Airways is an Australian low-cost airline and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Qantas Airlines. I didn’t question it more. I don’t know if its because I heard “Australian” or because I trusted my parents’ instincts. Either way, I’m going to Japan, and I couldn’t care any less what airline it is.
MY JETSTAR EXPERIENCE TO TOKYO
We arrived around 9 PM in NAIA Terminal 1, which is also new to me. It felt like a different airport from my usual Terminal 3. It is quieter, less crowded and everyone seems fancy. How come a low-cost airline is in a terminal with the other big flag carrier airlines?
Check-in was easy and somehow fast. And the strict 7kg hand carry reviews I’ve read online are accurate!! I have a backpack, and a medium-sized shoulder bag and the ground attendant asked me to put it both on the weighing scale. There’s nothing wrong with their rules. I was just never used to it. Usually, with other airlines, they’ll only weigh the backpacks and would never mind my lady purse.
We have a red-eye flight to Tokyo. It’s a 12:50 midnight departure time from Manila and around 6 AM arrival time to Tokyo. If you’re not a fan of flight schedules like this then maybe you can consider other airlines because this is their only direct flight schedule to Tokyo.
As for me and my family, we don’t mind ungodly hour flights as long as it is on time. Delayed flights suck, of course, at any time given but it is the worst during past midnight flights. Imagine getting ready to sleep on the plane in an hour, but it turns out you have to wait for another 2-3 hours on the gate’s cold metal chair. Good thing, Jetstar is on time! Or maybe because it’s a Japanese flight, uh? You know how Japanese respect time.
While boarding the plane, I can vividly remember my first impression on it. THIS PLANE IS SO CLEAN AND WHITE. I’ve tried multiple budget airlines in my travel life, cross my travel heart and hope to die, and I can surely say that Jetstar is the cleanest among them. I even wore a skirt (I read an article about how a girl always wears pants and sweatshirt on her flights due to dirty plane seats) on my flight home.
We searched for our row among the sleek black leather seats. I got the window spot, which I prefer, but going inside, crossing the two seats, was a struggle due to the tight legroom. If you’re 5’4″ (like me) or above, it’s better to add some hundred pesos and purchase that emergency seats for legroom. But if you’re good at sleeping anywhere (like me again lol), then it will be fine.
Most of the flight attendants (and passengers) are Japanese. They look extra friendly and checked everything thoroughly before take-off.
After the take-off, I dozed off.
When we arrived at Narita Airport, everything went smoothly, from plane disembarking to immigration to the baggage carousel. We happily started our Japan trip.
HANDLING OUR DILEMMA ON OUR WAY HOME
Another excellent experience we had with Jetstar is when my sister bought a Taylor guitar in Tokyo and had to bring it home to Manila via checked-in baggage. At the check-in counter in Narita Airport, we requested the attendant to let us hand-carry my sister’s guitar since it isn’t in a hard case. They won’t let us since it is over their hand-carry 7kg limit (they’re very strict; I told you!) and dimensions due to safety reasons. But they repeatedly ensure us that even though it is checked-in, they’ll handle it with care. They promised us that it wouldn’t be tossed and be positioned safely on the plane’s luggage compartment. We had no other choice but to trust them.
And they didn’t break their promise. My sister’s guitar arrived safely and whole in Manila on a soft case. I told my sister that she’s lucky we are with Jetstar on this trip. I can’t imagine what other budget airlines would have done with our situation. Others might not even care.
After this flight, I signed up on Jetstar’s email promotions for their promos and seat sales because I would fly with them again. Their Japan flights can go as low as 4,000 PHP roundtrip during sale season. Their Singapore flights are also always in the sale too!
So if you’re reading this because you can’t decide if you’ll book that Jetstar flight you saw, I’ll only tell you one thing, GO AHEAD! Book that flight. And share your Jetstar experience in the comment section below!
P.S. This is my personal experience, and I know that there’s no perfect airline. If you have your bad experiences, please let’s not promote hate instead share it kindly in my comment section below.
