Review of Jetstar Airways flight from Cairns to Sydney in Economy

Introduction.

Hello and welcome back to another FR. This review will cover a flight from Cairns to Sydney with Jetstar Airways, a subsidary of Qantas and the biggest LCC in Australia. This review is nothing really special, just a 3 hour flight on an A320. Enjoy reading…

At the Airport.

I arrived at Cairns Airport approximately one hour before my departure, which is typically enough time for a domestic flight. It was an early morning with rain, and I was all tired and drenched, so I wasn't in my best mood.

From 6am to 7am., Cairns Airport is rather busy, with most flights departing during this period. As there were significant queues at the check-in desks, I opted to use a kiosk for check-in. The process was straightforward and efficient.

Unfortunately, there isn't much available on the landside of the terminal, apart from a small cafe, so I headed directly to security and the airside. While there were some minor queues, they were not particularly lengthy.

The airside is well-equipped with a variety of shops, fast food restaurants, and cafés, offering significantly more options than the smaller international terminal. Given the number of flights, the area was fairly busy.

With not much to do, I simply waited for boarding to commence. As Jetstar is a low-cost carrier, their baggage allowance is quite strict, and the fees are notably high. Passengers are permitted 7kg of carry-on baggage across two items. Due to this policy, you are required to weigh your baggage at the gate before boarding. If your baggage exceeds the allowance, a $75 fee is imposed, which I saw a few passengers receiving. Sheesh…

Anyways, boarding commenced at around 6:30am. Cairns Airport features an interesting design, with a slightly long walk up ramps to the jetbridge for passengers seated at the front of the plane, while those at the rear board via stairs at the back. I don't know if this is the case with other regional airports in Australia, but this is a first for me.

Here is our plane for today. One drawback of this airport is that the planes are not visible from the gate, so you have to board before you can finally see your aircraft.

Aircraft Information.

Aircraft - Airbus A320-200
Reg - VH-VQK
MSN - 2651
Age - 18.7 years

Cabin and Seat.

Jetstar's A320 aircraft are configured with 180 densely packed economy class seats, each offering a width of 17.8 inches (45.4 cm) and a pitch of 29 inches (73.7 cm). Although the seating is tight, the seats are pretty slim and provide a generous amount of recline, though they do not include headrests. (Photo above is taken post arrival)

A positive aspect of these seats is the placement of the literature pocket above the tray table, which frees up the seat pocket and provides additional legroom.

The Flight.

Boarding was completed quickly, and the door was closed at around 7:05 a.m. After the safety briefing, we began to push back. Cairns Airport is relatively small, so the taxi time was brief, although there were a couple of aircraft ahead of us. Eventually, we took off.

One wierd thing I noticed is that Jetstar now offers a stream-to-your-device entertainment system. Although there’s a fee to watch movies, it’s definitely good to see this feature available, similar to what Qantas and Virgin Australia offer.

The prices are displayed in the photo above, and the content selection is quite decent. It’s nearly identical to the in-flight entertainment offered on Jetstar's international Boeing 787 flights, which I experienced a few months ago.

They have a free section which is filled with some random Jetstar videos and some games.

However, one welcome addition from Jetstar is the free flight map. In my opinion, flight maps are essential, as flying without one can sometimes feel like being in solitary confinement, with no sense of your location.

As Jetstar is a low-cost carrier, food and drinks aren't free and have to be purchased onboard. Since I didn't have a chance to eat at the airport and was quite hungry, I decided to buy a meat pie and sausage roll combo with a lemonade.

If you've read my previous reviews, you might know that I almost always order a lemonade on my flights. The pies were quite filling and tasty—a very Aussie meal, I must say.

The rest of the flight was fairly uneventful. I spent the time playing the free games available on Jetstar's in-flight entertainment on my phone.

I can't believe I spent an hour playing the penalty kick game and actually enjoyed it.

We began our descent into Sydney shortly after.

We landed slightly delayed but nothing significant.

That is going to conclude this FR. Thanks for reading!