$169 to Bali, blankets extra
 

Jano Gibson
SMH
July 26, 2006 - 12:10PM
Budget airline Jetstar will charge long-haul passengers extra for blankets and pillows as part of its push into international markets - but promotional fares to Asian destinations will cost as little as $169.
Shortly after the promotional fares were announced, the Jetstar website crashed temporarily as bargain hunters piled into the site.
A Jetstar spokesman said more than 100,000 unique visitors had tried to access the site within two hours of tickets going on sale at 10.30am.
From late November, Jetstar will fly to six destinations - Bangkok and Phuket in Thailand, Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, Osaka in Japan, Honolulu in Hawaii and Bali.
As part of its International Launch Sale, which runs until midnight on Friday, or until seats sell out, Jetstar is offering all-inclusive, one-way trips from Sydney to Bali for $169, to Phuket and Ho Chi Minh City for $199 and to Osaka for $249.
It is also offering one-way flights from Melbourne to Bangkok for $199, while Honolulu prices are yet to be announced.
The first flights are due to depart from Melbourne on November 23 and Sydney the following day.
After the promotional period ends, all-inclusive, one-way ticket prices will rise to $409 for Bali, $439 for Bangkok and Phuket, $489 for Ho Chi Minh City and $549 for Osaka, with Honolulu prices yet to be announced.
As with its Australian domestic version, the cheap tickets will not include extras such as meals, in-flight entertainment or even blankets.
Passengers will have to pay $25 for a "Feed Me" package, which will include two meals and a non-alcoholic drink, for all but the Bali flights. They will cost $15.
In-flight entertainment kits - including portable video on demand and headsets - will cost another $10, while so-called "Comfort me" packs -with a blanket, pillow and amenity kit - will be charged at $7 each.
Jetstar CEO Alan Joyce said the optional meal, entertainment and comfort costs were all about giving passengers more choice.
"In economy class, a Jetstar customer flying long haul will have the choice to pre-select at the time of booking a variety of meal and entertainment extras on top of a low-base fare to package cost effectively their own individual flying experience," he said.
Those who choose to wing it without buying the extras might get hungry but they should never get thirsty.
"Each passenger will receive a bottle of water upon boarding and there will be a water fountain available in the economy cabin for passengers to use throughout the flight," Jetstar said in a press release today.

wouldn't go to Bali even if it was free!:}

Got that bit right.



All off to Bali, Ha Ha Ha, I am with you Pushback, let them have it.
Ooooh:ooh::ooh::ooh: and a FREE water fountain, thats almost business class.

Why don't they just go $169+$25+$7+Taxes =The fare.:hmm:

I am not normally one for government intervention, but I think it is high time the travelling public were given the actual cost of flying in advertising!:=

This practice of adding a $30 fuel levy in the 'taxes' is ludicrous, surely the cost of fuel is part of the actual cost of travel! I don't even think the government taxes should be added in seperately, companies should only be able to advertise the 'fly away' or 'final' price.:*

PS: Stand by for 300 people standing at check in with a pillow under their arm....;) Will cabin baggage size limits be enforced?

I assume that there will be a memo to keep the cabin cold to enhance sales of blankets. Just what you need on arrival in Bali a blanket and comfort kit:suspect:

Although keeping the cabin cool would have an impact on beverage sales...;)

How much will they try and charge for a sheet of 'dunny' paper:rolleyes:

And can you imagine someone being asked for their Amex card before they will give them a hit with the Defib after they've had a hearty.

Sometimes I wonder if Joyce and O'Leary (Ryanair) are having a private contest to see whose airline can out do the other in the gouging stakes.:=

Disco Stu

Totally agree HH. Your local shop isn't allowed to put a label (correct me if I'm wrong) on the shelf advertising a product with a price that doesn't include GST, so why should airlines (or car dealerships for that matter) be able to advertise $169 *plus taxes, fuel levy, food costs, pillows

What's next? Free flights to Bali!Plus entry cover charge of $100, cost of seat (compulsory) of $60, cost of seat belt (compulsory) $9

If you have to pay it, it should be in the price. If it's optional, list it as optional. So Food, pillows etc - I have no problem with the extra charge. "Fuel" , "Taxes" and other crap you can't choose, should be included in the price. Free markets only work when the consumer is given all the right info. It's NOT right to keep letting first time consumers of an airline seat (Joe and Mary from Mt. Druitt "Wow, we can finally afford to go on an airplane for a holiday" (little do they know that the price they saw on the advertising board is not what they have to pay)) find out after making the decision to travel that the final price will actually be 20-30% more than what they thought!

Normal Fares not so cheap
 

Of course they will start off with these ridiculously low fares, they need to to get further the publics perception its a dirt cheap Airline. The fares after the promotion dont seem all that cheap though, Of note $549 one way to Osaka, well thats $1099 return, and I'm guessing plus taxes which conservatively would be $200?? Thats around $1300. My mate has been looking around for fares to Osaka, you can get return for less than $1300 on a full service carrier, granted its with a transit somewhere. In fact the cheapest was around $900 all inclusive but even Singair and the like can get for around $1100-1200 inclusive. Its all about perception my firends and I suspect particulary with the Japanese market they will fail, holiday destinations such as Bali and the likes I think probably will go ok, but Im doubting Japan is going to work Australian didnt..

The first post refers to "all-inclusive" one way ticket prices. On reading this, the implication is that the "plus taxes and charges" bit is not the way Jetstar plan to do things.

I recently purchased a Jetstar flight for my father and on the website only one price was quoted, and that was the price I paid. There were no extra taxes and charges. All they did was identify the amount of GST paid. This is what the receipt says:

Jetstar base fare 253.64
Other Fees 0.00
Subtotal 253.64
GST Payable 25.36
Total Price 279.00 (this was the initial price quoted)

I am a Qantas pilot but fair's fair - Jetstar do not engage in the plus taxes and charges deception. They don't even do it for staff travel fares, whereas QF happily gouge their own staff in this respect.

So in the context of the above, I guess a few posts on this thread are emotive propaganda cr@p and really don't deserve to be on public display...

Have another look as the total cost does not become clear until well into the transaction. Here's a cut and paste from JQs website when I just tried to make a booking:

"All Prices are quoted in Australian dollars.

Prices exclude airfare-related surcharges, fees and taxes.

Please note that, for Domestic Australian flights, $2 (AUD) per passenger per flight segment will be added to your fare paid by credit or charge card if you select payment by card on the purchase screen. For International flights to/from Australia $4 (AUD/NZD) per passenger per flight segment will be added to fares paid by credit or charge card if you select payment by card on the purchase screen."

Then you get to another page and find a huge increase to the fare quoted:


DEPARTURE
SYD - SGN
$337
per Passenger
Tue, 16 Jan 07
15:00 JQ 7
RETURN
SGN - SYD
$37
per Passenger
Thu, 15 Mar 07
21:40 JQ 8
$498.45
DEPARTURE total
Adult $337.00
Surcharges, Fees & Tax $161.45
Airfare per Adult $498.45
Subtotal
1 × Adults $498.45
$163.85
RETURN total
Adult $37.00
Surcharges, Fees & Tax $126.85
Airfare per Adult $163.85
Subtotal1 × Adults $163.85
$0 EXTRAS total
$662.30TOTAL

There is no break up of the extras they claim are added. And if you want something to eat over the 8 plus hour flights, it is $25 each sector with a further $10 each way for some entertainment, not to mention the further $7 each way for a blanket.

If that is 'inclusive charging', I am Geoff Dixon!:yuk:

.

Merged: Jetstar International
 

Can anyone say how Jetstar is able or permitted to advertise, take bookings, sell fares, and collect the money, for services for which it is not approved to operate? Sounds a bit dodgy to me. Will they refund money with interest if they can't perform as advertised should they fail to get their AOC or other approvals?

Is East West Loco able to shed some light/

Jet* int
 

The ads I've heard on the radio say the fares subject to regulatory approval - so I guess they're pretty confident of getting the requisite approvals in time - otherwise they'll be some poultry products on faces at Jet*

Dont forget that there is NO fule levy on Jet*
QF subsidise them..........
we pay it on domestic and international QF yet nothing on Jet*

Hmm…. Having read this thread and also the feature on “The Age” website regarding the breakdown of the Jetstar website due to huge overloads I idly tried out the site and, lo and behold, got on to it.
My son loves and adores Club Med in Bali so I tried a booking. Gulp: five days in mid December $24 each round trip. OK, OK, that’s not the full fare. The full fare for two adults and 1 child is: tickets $72. Meals (“Feed me”) $102, Credit card surcharge $24, fees and taxes $798. Total $996. That’s for three people and we have seat assignments. Quick shout to Mrs Fulmar and check of school holiday schedule (and school has finished then) and we’re booked.
I’ve used Jetstar a number of times, mainly to the Gold Coast. It’s a bl**dy good quality carrier and my only complaint ever was their seating policy- which on international flights they seem to have solved.
I am actually quite conversant about the economics of the LCC model and. yes, I know that $24 for a round trip to Bali is not going to cover even the pushback fuel costs but what the heck- a pre-Christmas trip to Bali is just what the doctor ordered. Sorry about missing a couple of Moorabbin parties but I’m sure you’ll understand

Phil

Fare 24 dollars...fees and taxes 798 dollars??? Whats in the "fees"?:confused:

Of course here in Darwhine we wont be able to go any f:mad: in where.

we ARE the forgotten Tinny :{

After all...it was Darwhine-ites that invented the Bali Bush Pig :p

When most airlines announce new schedules it is usually well before they obtain the necessary approvals so they add "Subject to Governemnt approval". I used to do it. It used to be the same with air fares - in the "old days".