Flighthacker

Jetstar's 7th birthday: Fly a friend for free!

Jetstar have finally sprung their 7th annual birthday sale upon us, releasing ‘fly a friend for free’ sale fares for many routes across their network. Both domestic and international fares are in the fray, spanning a variety of travel dates between mid-October 2011 and the end of March, 2012.

To be honest, I’m finding it a little hard to get hysterically excited about this one. Across the board, the fares presented deliver rather conservative discounts to the discriminating buyer, but certainly don’t echo the staggering generosity of sales past. For example, the 2 for 1 fares between international routes only apply to the outbound trip out of Australia. So for 2 people to travel from Melbourne to Singapore, the fare per person comes to (369×3)/2, or $553.50.  Only last week, the same route was being offered for $503 return per person. Better value fares can be found on domestic routes, but again, the price tags aren’t as kind as we’ve previously witnessed.

At 8pm EST today, the Jetstar website was having serious troubles handling the demand for this sale. Searches have been near-impossible to complete. With this in mind, be patient and try to book later at night/early in the morning.

Good luck – now go get yourself some great fares on Jetstar’s sale page!

Update (10pm): Website is much better now. Some international fares have the ‘fly a friend for free’ promotion applied in both directions – Sydney to Manila for $410 per person return, not bad!

Southern Alps, New Zealand. Photo: GothPhil

If the smell of fresh snow from across the Tasman has become too much to bear, then take heart. A full-on fare war has begun amongst Jetstar, Virgin Blue and Air New Zealand over the hotly-contested east coast – Christchurch routes, resulting in some of the most competitive peak ski season fares I’ve seen in a long time.

All three airlines are offering promo fares during August, with additional travel dates spanning late-October to mid-December, 2011. Here are the cheapest return fares available at present between Sydney – Christchurch during the August period:

• Jetstar: $199.36 (New Zealand sale)
• Virgin Australia: $222.93
• Air New Zealand: $229.06 (using discount code ‘NZ150′, valid until 2 June)

All airfares include tax and don’t include optional extras like check-in baggage.

Yes, there are direct flights between Australia’s east coast cities and Queenstown, New Zealand’s ski mecca. However, unless you’re short on time, it’s always far more economical to travel via Christchurch, then drive, bus or fly Jetstar down to the snow. With fares starting around the $30 one way mark for the Christchurch to Queenstown leg, you get my drift.

Heading to New Zealand’s ski fields really is exceptional value. Unless you are unlucky enough to encounter a very warm season, you will find that everything from snow quality, to accommodation absolutely eclipses what’s on offer in Australia. So, pull on your boots – if you’re planning to hit the white stuff this season, this is the time to get planning. Happy flight hunting and first tracks!

Melbourne to Singapore on Jetstar, from $508 return

If you’re planning an Asian escape, there’s not many places quite like Singapore to use as a launchpad into the rest of the region. As the hub for Tiger Airways and a key destination for discount airlines like Air Asia and Cebu Pacific, it’s exceptionally well connected – not to mention, simply a pleasant place to visit for a few days.

To celebrate the upping of their frequency between Melbourne (Tullamarine) and Singapore to daily via their A330 fleet, Jetstar have quietly released bargain fares for the travel period of 19 July – 31 August, 2011. Starting at $508 return including tax (even during peak times, ie. weekends), it’s a real steal, only comparable to Air Asia’s ‘big sale’ fares to Kuala Lumpur.

As someone who finds Sydney’s winter to be a little too chilly for comfort, I’m personally very tempted to skip south to Melbourne, then north in pursuit of a strong Singapore Sling (or two). The good news is that if you’re like me and reside outside of  Melbourne, it is possible in some instances to book fares from your nearest airport, to Singapore in a single booking (and presumably have your luggage transited between connecting flights). However, if you’re travelling light and have time to burn, it’s well worth shopping around flights spanning the Sydney (or wherever you are) – Melbourne legs separately, as you may be able to save money by either selecting different flight times, or going with another carrier.

See you in SG!

When Winter starts to set in, take off with Jetstar! Photo Credit: Flickr user Christopher Bearman

Jetstar have dropped their fares between Australian cities and a number of international destinations including Osaka, Tokyo, Phuket, Bangkok, Christchurch and Auckland, for departures during April – June, 2010. My favorite – flights to Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City) are now only $427 return including tax ex. Sydney. Perfect for avoiding the blues as Winter approaches!

Other return fares ex. Sydney include:

• Christchurch from $264
• Bangkok from $587
• Tokyo from $617
• Phuket from $635

This doesn’t seem to be an advertised price drop, so get in quick for cheap fares. Naturally, visit Adioso to find select dates and fares for your destination of choice.

I anticipate we will see more price drops  like this between now and Feb, however don’t let the opportunity pass if you genuinely want to visit these destinations. On a related note, it is not known if the detainment of two Qantas/Jetstar Pacific employees over a dispute regarding jet fuel futures will affect future Jetstar operations into HCM City. For the interim, I’d say it’s totally safe to purchase away. Happy travels!

Need another holiday? Singapore on sale for less than $450 return

Jetstar has dropped the prices for all its routes to Singapore, meaning that you can pick up some unbelievable return fares, including:

• Melbourne return from $386
• Sydney return from $446

All fares are including tax. Departures are in late Feb – March. The full round-up of dates and fares can be found on Adioso.

I predict that we’re going to be seeing a lot more cut-price fares as January & February bring the usual retail lull. So, there’s no rush to spend your Christmas money all at once – by the end of January, there’s certainly going to be more where this came from.

Happy new year, everyone! I wish you all great adventures and more coin to spend on cocktails in 2010.

Although details are sketchy at this moment, Jetstar have announced that in conjunction with Macquarie Bank, they will be releasing a Jetstar MasterCard in two flavours today – being regular and platinum. For the regular card, every dollar spent equates to 1c in Jetstar money, which can eventually be redeemed for flight vouchers and promotional offers. For platinum, this doubles to 2c.

Word has it that there may be a Qantas/Jetstar points tie-in announced next year.

Make sure you check details first, but the skinny is that interest will be pegged at 10.99% and the card itself will come with a $49 annual fee. So, if you think all those cents accrued will exceed the annual price tag, then it doesn’t seem too rough to me. Hopefully it won’t come with a minimum spend in order to collect points, like that pesky Everyday Rewards/Qantas Frequent Flyer card.

Watch this page for the card’s launch later today.

Fly low to Tokyo! Photo Credit: Ali Nishan (Flickr)

Planning an international break next year? Or a ski trip to Japan’s legendary powder in February? Jetstar have released some amazing fares across their entire network, including international destinations! My favourites are as follows:

• Sydney – Tokyo for $590 return
• Gold Coast – Tokyo for $472 return
• Sydney – Bangkok (via Melbourne) for $575 return
• Well, any of the Japan fares ex. Australia… They’re all fabulous!

All fares listed  above are for Jetstar Light fares and are inclusive of tax. Travel periods are 10 November – 14 December 2009, 28 January – 23 March, 2010 and 20 April – 20 June, 2010. That said, check from February onwards for the cheapest and most plentiful fares and our friends at Adioso.com to find that bargain!

Oodles of routes are on sale, for both domestic and international travel, so check Jetstar’s sale page for the latest. Banzai!

Discover Indonesia's wonders with Jetstar. Photo Credit: Fadil Basymeleh

Fancy a last-minute escape to Asia, prior to Christmas? Jetstar have launched their International Sale, offering some exceptionally tasty flights to Asia from a number of Australian cities. Highlights include:

• Melbourne – Bangkok: $309
• Perth – Jakarta: $130
• Sydney – Bali (Denpasar): $330

Plus numerous other international routes. All fares listed are one way and inclusive of taxes. Sale is on now until Tuesday, 6 October, for travel during varying periods between  8 October – 10 December, 2009. Jetstar have also posted their domestic sale fares for this afternoon’s Fare Frenzy, so make sure you take a look and prepare to snap up a cheap flight. Check out Jetstar’s sale page for details. Have a fabulous Labour Day long weekend, Australia!

Important Note: In light of the recent tragedies that have occurred across Asia-Pacific (Typhoon Ketsana, Sumatran earthquake, Samoan tsunami), I would like you to consider donating to the Red Cross or Red Crescent. The spare change that you may throw at a fun trip this Friday will certainly bring respite to the victims of these tragedies, so please consider making a difference - http://donate.ifrc.org/

Fly low to Tokyo! Photo Credit: Ali Nishan

Jetstar’s 2-for-1 sale has come around yet again, with some excellent buddy-fares to Tokyo and Osaka, departing the Gold Coast, Cairns, Sydney and Melbourne. Here’s a summary of what to expect:

• Gold Coast – Osaka: $379 one way ($189.50 per person)
• Gold Coast – Tokyo: $379 one way ($189.50 per person)
• Cairns – Tokyo: $329 one way ($164.50 per person)
• Sydney – Osaka (via Gold Coast, on flight JQ19/20 only): $429 one way ($214.50 per person)
• PLUS: Individual Melbourne – Tokyo fares for an amazing $553 return, including tax! See Adioso for details

All fares are inclusive of taxes. As per the previous Jetstar Japan sale, Sydney have missed out. Read my previous post on how Sydneysiders can get a jump on these fab fares. Sale is on now until 30 September, for travel between 5 October – 7 December, 2009. Check Jetstar’s sale page for details.

Take your mum, it’s a great time to fly!

Crave Singapore? On sale ex. Sydney from $416 return

I love Jetstar’s sneaky little sales and this one out of Singapore certainly brings a smile to my dial. Jetstar Singapore have announced their “Crave Sydney” sale, which is just as good for us Australian folks who crave Singapore. Fares to Singapore ex. Sydney are now $534 return including tax, for travel between 20 October – 10 December, 2009.  Sale ends 21 September.

Adioso have all the fares; make sure you select a $344 fare to Singapore and the $190 fare back to Sydney. Check out Jetstar’s Singapore sale page for details, lah!