When push comes to shove (Jetstar)
 

Sat "Weekend Australian"

When push comes to shove
Cheap'n'cheerful never looked so cheap, writes Elizabeth Meryment, after being buffeted to get a seat flying with cut-price airline Jetstar
July 31, 2004

TO my mind, there is something peculiarly juvenile about the name Jetstar; it sounds like the sort of thing a plump teenager would have emblazoned on her size-too-small T-shirt, accompanied by a lurid image of a woman with a pneumatic figure. Yet this, it seems, is what Australian flying has come to.

Try booking a flight to nearly any leisure destination in Australia these days -- particularly those in Queensland -- and you'll find you won't be able to fly Qantas any more: if you can't get a seat aboard Virgin Blue, Jetstar it is.

Qantas established Jetstar this year in answer to competition from Richard Branson's Virgin Blue, which was throttling the opposition with its cheap'n'cheerful policy that drastically undercut Qantas's pricing regime. The result was that Qantas decided it could be even cheaper, if not quite so cheerful, via Jetstar.

So how does Jetstar vary from its opposition? Well, the first thing you notice is that the passenger lines at Jetstar's check-in gates are configured differently from those of the other airlines. No longer do you join one long queue and wait for the first available staff member to check you in.

With Jetstar, passengers on each flight line up in dedicated lines. So if you're flying from Sydney to Hamilton Island at 9am, everybody flying on that plane must join the same queue. That means 70 people can be in one queue, while next door a flight from Sydney to Avalon at 10am could have two people waiting.

And don't dare turn up late for the flight. The lines are closed precisely 30 minutes before the flight's scheduled departure time. There is no refund if you miss boarding and if you want to catch a later flight you must buy a new ticket. (A revenue-raising exercise, perchance? Oh no, just a measure to make planes leave on time.) Nor should you try to sneak on board more luggage than is your due. If you do, you'll be slugged mightily.

Check-on luggage must weigh no more than 20kg; for every kilogram over, you will be charged $5. So travelling with surfboards or prams is not recommended.

All that is not such a problem because one of the great travel annoyances has to be standing in line behind a family that is checking in 400 pieces of odd-shaped plastic-wrapped luggage that must be handled individually by the attendant.

But what really irritates me is Jetstar's "no seat allocation" policy. It's hard to see the purpose of this, as it can't possibly cost that much for an airline computer to randomly allocate seats to its passengers.

I recall that Virgin Blue started off with this policy but quickly dispensed with it, and indeed ended up introducing a business-class of sorts whereby passengers can pay an extra $30 per flight to secure a comfy seat in the front or exit row. On Jetstar, you'll have no such option. Jetstar has new "slim-line seats" (read: cramped legroom). One imagines Jetstar's unofficial mascot, the fabulous Magda Szubanski, would have trouble squeezing into these little seats that reduce legroom to a bare minimum. Worse, though, is that the no-seat allocation policy seems to encourage the worst in a lot of people.

Before the flight is called, passengers start lining up to make sure they can get on first to secure a good seat. This encourages a lot of pushing, shoving and general disregard for other passengers.

On one of the three Jetstar flights I've caught recently, I was infuriated to see passengers with almost violent looks on their faces (all of them young and mostly men) pushing others aside to get to the head of the line.

Those they pushed aside included women with small babies, pregnant women, elderly folk and even one woman with cerebral palsy. No kidding. The Jetstar staff didn't seem to find this a problem and helped nobody on board.

On another flight I took, however, priority boarding was given to those who needed it; the elderly, families with small children and pregnant women were invited to board first, thus earning the hisses and poisoned glares of those who had arrived at the airport early to secure front-row seats.

That's another thing about Jetstar. The first 50 passengers to arrive are permiited to board first, so if you're an habitual latecomer like me, you'll always end up with the seat by the toilet (if you make the flight at all).

Of course on Jetstar there is no such thing as a free meal. But don't fear. If you're hungry or thirsty there are repeated opportunities to buy, buy, buy yourself silly.

Prices are fair. Basic filter coffee and tea are $2.50 a cup, soft drinks $3, a Greek salad $5.50, a Turkish sandwich with ham and cheese $6, a vegetarian wrap with sundried tomato dressing $5.50, Pringles $3, beer $5, spirits $6 and so on. And if you're really intent on tossing your money to the wind, you can buy a Jetstar teddy bear for$14.

The Jetstar staff, I have to say, seem universally cheery, at least cheerier than the Qantas staff I've encountered lately.

And all three flights I caught did leave and land on time, which makes a refreshing change. The flights can be cheap if you get them on special, too.

As a random exercise, I checked one-way prices from Brisbane to Cairns and found I could get them for $69 with a week's notice, which is a bargain.

Similar prices could be found for Sydney to Hobart flights. (Comparable flights on Qantas cost more than $200.)

But on Jetstar you won't clock up any frequent flyer points, which is a downer for people who fly more than once or twice a year. And saving money is a priority for most of us, so it's a fair bet we will all end up on Jetstar at some point. But don't expect a luxury trip. I'll be choosing Virgin Blue. At least I won't be pushed aside in the rush to take my seat.

Checklist

Jetstar flies to Sydney and Newcastle, Melbourne (Avalon), Hobart, Launceston, Brisbane, the Gold and Sunshine coasts, Rockhampton, Mackay, Hamilton Island, Proserpine and Cairns. Flights start from $39. More: 131 538; www.jetstar.com.au.

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I see that Elizabeth Meryment didnt get the obligatory freebies that VB seems to provide journo's doing stories/reports.

This sounds like the opposite of "cash for comments" so to speak.

People want cheap(er) fares dont they?
You get what you pay for.
What do they expect!!!

Timeee thats a pretty big call to make... Agreed that this journalism is not nearly as impartial as it could (should) be, but its not fair of you to set out on a VB bashing exercise because of it.....

The most correct statement you made is

and I agree 100% with you on that

Maybe explains why she seems so p!!ssed off.
No way it could be her own fault. :E

And she got payed for this drivel.

Seems to me she is the type of person Jet* are educating very quickly.

1/ Be on time.

2/ No special treatment

3/ No Free Feeds (If you could ever call QFs boxes a feed).

4/ Get on.

5/ Sit down.

6/ And Shut up.

For this you will get from A to B on time and at a bus fare price. Plus you will be in the the hands of some the nicest and compendant FA's in the business.

I have taken two Jetstar flights in the last month unlike the writer of this article, I turned up a reasonable amount of time before the flight to check in. I had sequence numbers varying from 7 to 40, preference was given to elderley, familys wilth young children, etc. I have no problem with this as I turned up on time, there were still a stack of seats to choose from when I boarded the plane.


Nor did I see any from people that may have checked in before the passengers given priority.


Its passengers like the writer of this article that hold up other airlines flights at the expense of the 99.9% of people who bothered to read their ticket and turn up on time. What a self centred B*$&%.

The media in general seem to be singling out Jetstar for their 30min checkin deadline. In the interest of balancing up the one sided dribble :yuk: that gets published, all of which could be better written by an illiterate two year old. Those journos that get their facts from this very website here you are, quoted from Virgin blue terms and conditions.

Cheers
:ok:

All I've learned from this article is that people like her were pampered by the old duopoly. What she wants is VB & J* prices, with AN & TN service, facilities, etc, etc, etc...

Welcome to the NWO Elizabeth! :rolleyes: Oh, and if your "example" of the "customers" suprises you, why not write an article about the life of a check-in clerk for ANY airline!:mad:

It really is your typical media rubbish.

Essentially what Elizabeth is saying is that she got a ridiculously cheap airfare between A and B, enjoyed the service and left A and got to B on or ahead of time.

Her only real whinges concern things that we as airline employees have no control over, i.e - what passengers say/do, or how they behave.

Journalists really need to be regarded with the same contempt that they reserve for us. It would seem they deserve it.
:suspect:

Well,

Being a diligent Qantas Employee, Mulder decided to search for the answers this weekend and flew to a destination with Virgin and came back with Jetstar on a brand new A320. Full fare with Bride in tow. $800 return.

Verdict.

Virgin has got it hands down on Jetstar!

Allocated seating, Friendlier Cabin Crew who knew the job etc. etc.

If this is what the Australian Public wants then good luck. In future I will fly business class to the nearest Capital City and hire a car. Hail to the Bus driver, bus driver, bus driver. Pay Peanuts!!!!

As much as I hate to do it, I must agree with Elizabeth to some degree. I'm not impressed by Deathstar and the service I received, and She Who Must Be Obeyed flew Maroochydore to Sydney, nope sorry, didn't quite make Sydney, got dumped at Willy, and returned Sydney Maroochydore on Mother Teresa Airlines ;) and the difference was chalk and cheese. MTA were streets ahead in her opinion, and I know her opinion is correct because she told me so.

Deathstar's check in systems sucks and is old world methods. No one does it like that anymore, but they should start to learn soon.

I've said it before and I'll continue to believe it until proven incorrect. Deathstar is just a baby flying white rat, same attitude, same indifference to the customer. Yes you get what you pay for, but I'm not sure I paid for ignorance. The FAs may be competent, however, the impression given to me was that they really didn't want to be there.

I'm not sure I feel comfortable with some of the antics the MTA FAs get up to, but being a little oder than some, I remember TAA, Compass (Mark I & II), Ansett and the service (read attitude of the FAs) and long for those days. Whether you're paying peanuts or diamonds, at the end of the day, it doesn't cost one red cent more to welcome the paying customer to your place of employment, after all, if they don't come back, you don't have a place of employment.

JMOFWIW

As most here have said, the journalism doesn't really reek of professionalism but more importantly who has the better strategy and will generate enough positive cashflow to survive? True low cost operators focus on costs (Ryan air etc) and survive.

Jet*'s lean and mean true low cost model versus Virgin's hybrid low cost model?

Today's financial results for Virgin and the subsequent mark down of its shares indicate what the professional investors think. What was Virgin floated at?

(I have flown both airlines, checked in early at Jet*and didn't have any problems. Virgin may have the blondes etc but aren't we out of the seventies now?)


From ABC's website on 4 August: http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems...8/s1168967.htm

The airlines steered the Australian share market lower today as oil prices soared and Virgin Blue posted lower earnings.

The All Ordinaries closed nine points lower at 3,555.

Virgin Blue's shares plummeted to an all-time low after its earnings fell 22 per cent in the first four months of the year.

It blamed competition from Jetstar and a flood of new planes on key routes.

Virgin Blue's shares closed down more than 14 per cent at $1.75.

Patrick Corporation, which owns 45 per cent of Virgin, has also felt the effects. Its shares fell 6.5 per cent to $5.17.

Having performed our boarding ritual numerous times I would just like to say the it ALWAYS goes well with the exception of FAMILIES. If there is more than 8-10 families the :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad: REALLY hits the fan.

Unlike the author of the article I have found that it is mothers (WOMEN) who posess these "hisses and poisoned glares". Call me a masongenist but whenever you get more than a couple of families these woman get very pushy. Even say a lady with a baby. She will ALWAYS put the baby in a seat (as close to the front as we let her) and deny a pax who checked in before her (quite often these familes check in last!) the choice. And you explain it is a full flight and it isn't possible for her to have the extra seat for free. And they yell at you...

These women yell and scream when we say they must sit behind row 4. (As we do with all pre-board except Chairman's Lounge) They just don't understand that the 115 people who checked in before them may like a pick of the good seats. Seating for people with infants was always rows 6-10 in the QFLink days and no one ever complained about it as they were told to sit there. The power of perception (or ignorance?)...

I have found the boarding process is 100% pleasant when there is few families. These women can really turn it in to a :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad: fight. I have observed fights and yelling matches between families and had people scream abuse in my face. But only when (by more than coincidence!) there is families (read mothers) involved.

I don't know what it is but I have to say I have seen some really selfish and arrogant behaviour, 90% of it from these mothers. Is there some gene/hormone that only mothers posess that turn them into these monsters?

I suppose that one would have to use a bit of lateral thinking to relate the following to the thread but.......
I saw this notice hanging on a wall of an electronics shop in Darwin in 1989;
"Quality is like buying oats. If you want clean ,fresh oats you must pay a fair price. However, If you can be satisfied with oats that have already been through the horse, that comes a little cheaper."
Just my thought.:(

You only live twice. Once when
you're born. Once when
you've looked death in the face.

It seems to me that despite approaching the argument from differing viewpoints everyone is actually in heated agreement.

1. You get what you pay for.
2. Some people expect more than they pay for.
3. The journalist sounds like she is from (2) and is a right tosser.
4. If you don't like the tradeoffs, feel free to use the opposition.

Where's the problem? Me, I'm happy to arrive at the airport a bit earlier, wait for the queue to finish fighting and take the last seat, wherever it is, if it means paying half the price. Who gives a stuff for a 90 minute flight? Agent Mulder is free to use business class if he wants. Isn't that what competition is about?

As Buster says, welcome to the NWO.


:rolleyes:

Hey Ditzyboy!

Must be even better when there's no passengers at all! With your attitude you might find the people who pay your salary choosing the other airline.

Sounds like a p*ss poor attitude from someone who chooses to be in the front line with the customers. "You" are the face of your employer and it doesn't sound like you present a pleasant one.

However, I do agree that some pax can be nightmares but that's life nowadays. Flying for the masses not only brings contact with the masses but also jobs. The "good old days" certainly have gone.

If you don't like it, move on to another service industry. I am sure there are plenty of aspiring FAs queuing for your job.

Cheers

Pug

ps the spelling you might be looking for is misogynist and since you ask, I'll also call you one too!

Pug -
If you'd care to review my previous posts about Jetstar you would see that I am indeed enjoying it. I think many of us were pleasantly surprised at the amount of positives regarding the cabin crew role in the new operation.

I would challenge anyone who knew me to find a time when I am not pleasant to my customers (to whom I owe my job!). Where in my post do I give the impression I am not pleasant to these people? You yourself admit some pax can be trying. Customers in EVERY industry are trying - it's human nature.

I am the last person you need to remind about being thankful to have *any* job in this industry. So I don't know where you get off saying what you said. I was merely comparing my own experiences to that of the writer's. I made true observations of other people's actions and never once said that I show any sort of attitude to these people. Explain to me where I indicated that I show attitude. I just pointed out the behaviour's I have witnessed in others. Behaviour you even agreed occurs.

You looked far too deeply into my post and found something that wasn't even there, my friend. Before attacking people so viciously on a personal level - get your facts straight, please.

Uh-oh...it's trolley bags at 10 paces.

Watch out pug. Ditz has a mean backhand.

Ditzyboy,
What ever happened to R.M.Ansett's adage;"Look after mothers and children first.Other people will see this and send their families to fly with you!"Worked for us,but we had Class.
and don't say An. went bust,we all know that Abels caused that.Get the right attitude Ditzyboy,and stop giving cabin crew a bad image.

Completely unnecessary! No need to be so bitchy... AN is a sad loss to this country, but no need to be like that about it!

If you read what he is saying, you will see that he has a great attitude towards the people who are actually providing our jobs for us in the first place... what he is saying though is that some of those people are the ones who need to re-adjust the way they treat their fellow human beings! As far as Cabin Crew image goes, they are seen as being a lot friendlier these days and not nearly as snobby as some have been in the past! And personally, I dont confuse snobbiness with class.... (and I would just like to clarify that I dont mean all cabin crew from the past, but some are clearly above the rest of us in their own minds)

I heard the mullet and flanno was back in for spring 2004. I thought this was classy.

DM