Jetstar CEO comments in Bloomberg.

[hotnhigh]

Jetstar Expects Lower Costs as Demand Boosts Traffic (Update2) - BusinessWeek (http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-03-17/jetstar-expects-lower-costs-as-demand-boosts-traffic-update2-.html)
“We can definitely continue to drive costs out of our business,” Jetstar Chief Executive Officer Bruce Buchanan, 37, said in an interview in Bloomberg’s Melbourne bureau yesterday. “If you want to drive growth and a decline in real airfares you have to drive your costs down further or it becomes an unsustainable proposition.”
:ok:
(My underline.)
This bit had them laughing in the aisles!!!!

And great to see Deborah Hutton on the qantas monthly 'welcome aboard' video, last month, announce the fabulous news that the much valued jetstar passenger can use the qantas valet parking service now. Great news. I'm sure jetstar wont pay a cent towards the cost to qantas for the staff that run that part of the operation, but at least it wont add to Buchanan's headache of trying to keep his jetstar cost base down.:ugh:

[Capt Claret]

They drove Mrs C away from future travel with them yesterday.

Her carryon luggage was 1.5 kg over their limit, so she had to check it in and pay an extra $80! :eek:

My ears are still bleeding from the subsequent phone call. :oh:

[Agony]

Hey Clarrie,

Not trying to justify anything you have said.

After a recent o/s trip I travelled on a few different carriers, using staff travel and commercial tickets. I found it strange that for the first time in many years, at just about every port, every carrier weighed my cabin bag. Now if you are like me, my cabin bag weighs about 3.5 - 4 kilos empty, let alone with a laptop and some small changes of clothes etc. Needless to say they were all keen to have me reduce the weight of the cabin bag to the EXACT limit and if this meant going over on checked baggage and paying excess so be it.

As a driver, I initially thought ok, at least there is an attempt to try and get the weight of what is in the cabin closer to what is guessed. Then I thought, our company uses standard bag weights and pax weights so irregardless of whether or not they weigh and charge for excess baggage, it is NEVER shown as anything other than a standard weight in our load sheets. So that means that this is not an attempt to gain accurate weights for loading, but purely an attempt to gain more revenue by making money on checked luggage.

As I said, this happened in Oz and three overseas ports, with our national carrier and two others. So I fear it is a campaign of realising that they can make good coin out of those of us who carry significant cabin baggage.

[biggles7374]

In relation to carry on baggage.

I always check a carriers baggage policy and see what can be included in addition to the carry on bag allowance, a laptop is one such common item together with its power supply. Take these items out and ask for the bag to be re-weighed.

If it is still too heavy take out the book you are usually allowed and stick it under your arm and stuff your ipod / mobile phone and any other small but heavy items in your pockets, then ask for the bag to be re-weighed.

It is suprising how much this will save you in excess baggage charges.

Biggles

[MrWooby]

You also need to look closely at the wording of their baggage policy. For example Jetstar say that for every kilogram over the limit you pay XX$. So if your bag weighs in at 20.5 kg and the girlie tries to charge you excess, then ask her to read her policy carefully. You aren't 1 kilogram over therefore have no legal obligation to pay any excess. But once you go over 20.99 kg you have to pay.