Talking to my dear old Mum (who knows bugger all about avaition) back in unzud a few days ago - she very matter of factly happened to mention that the Jetstar drivers are the dregs of aviation and its unsafe to fly with them!!!
Had to pull her up and point out that regardless of where she heard that, its a pretty broad statement to make, and the reality is there are plenty of boys there with good experience.
My point is, this must be the kind of uniformed gossip thats doin the rounds in NZ, and Jetstar themselves are to blame for most of it with there highly publicised start up debacle. That combined with the well known fact that they are paying their pilots poorly only adds to the illusion that its only drivers that cant work elsewhere that are willing to climb into the seat and do the job.
Dunno if my Mums opinion is indicative of the wider feeling back there, but if it is, it should be a worry for Jetstar...