Feel like treating yourself by flying Business Class to Tokyo? This Jetstar Flight review explains how Business Class works on a low-cost airline. You will be surprised!
If you are looking for a flatbed, you won’t find it on a Jetstar Business Class flight from Gold Coast to Tokyo, but you will experience many other Business Class features that make a flight so much more comfortable, particularly on a night flight.
On the Jetstar Gold Coast to Tokyo (Narita) route (JQ11), Jetstar includes the Boeing 787 Dreamliner in the schedule, and the flight runs six days a week. .Jetstar was established by Qantas in 2003 as a low-cost subsidiary and is now one of Australia’s largest airlines.
The first airliner with an airframe constructed primarily of composite materials, the 787, has many new features, including windows that dim with a switch. Travelling on a newer plane that doesn’t look and feel like millions have sat in your seat before is always nice.
Here is what it is like to fly Business Class to Toyko with Jetstar.
Jetstar Business Class perks
Wondering why you might spend the extra money and purchase a Business Class seat? Well, there are some obvious advantages plus a whole lot of comfort to factor in along with some cons.
Quicker check-in and priority boarding
I flew with Jetstar from Gold Coast Airport to Tokyo (Narita) return. The departure flight (JQ 11) left at 10.30 am and arrived at 6.30pm, with a flying time of around 10 hours. There is only a one hour time difference between Australia and Japan for Queenslanders, and a two-hour difference during daylight saving for New South Wales and Victoria.
The Gold Coast Airport is fairly compact, so check-in is usually painless with short queues. However, Jetstar Business Class priority was definitely a bonus in Narita where the queues were very long sometimes doubling or tripling back on themselves.
At the gate, it’s nice to head to the front of the queue in the Business Class lane so you can settle in fast and start sipping that welcome drink and wipe your hands with the hot towel.
Strangely, Business Class perks do not extend to priority luggage collection and my bag was sometimes one of the last out. This does count as a negative when it comes to getting through customs, especially at the end of a long flight. By the time I got my bag, the queue for customs at Gold Coast airport at 6.30 in the morning was long with only one operator on the job. It shortened dramatically when a second person assisted.
Inflight dining
The Jetstar Business Class menu was presented before take-off and I had 10 minutes to decide what I wanted to eat while the rest of the plane passengers boarded.
Divided into the appetiser, main course, bakery and dessert, it had light and appetizing descriptions with vegetarian options.
I was wowed by the prosciutto salad topped with asparagus that came as my appetiser. Jetstar gets top marks for the warm, soft bread roll that accompanied it as well. The main was a light dish of soy and ginger barramundi, cooked to fall apart tender on a bed of soft, wok-fried noodles. Dessert was a selection from the trolley and the raspberry tart tasted as good as it looked.
There’s also a separate four-page Business Class wine menu curated by an expert panel that includes Winemakers Lisa McGuigan and Usher Tinkler and author Matt Skinner. The wines have been selected from wineries in Australia, France and New Zealand and come with a pairing guide so you can look like a wine buff when ordering.
On the return journey which boarded at 8.30 pm, I was served a light meal and then the cabin quickly settled down for sleep. In the morning the early arrival meant I slept through the light breakfast which was served while the lights were still dim. I really appreciated the opportunity for a little extra sleep and just picked up a cappuccino and muffin at the airport before driving home.
Business Class Comfort
The layout for Business Class is two-three-two. On the departure flight, I had the middle seat in a row of three and on the return a window seat in a row of two. I would definitely recommend avoiding the middle seat if possible.
Jetstar’s Business Class has wider leather seats (19 inches as compared to 17 inches in Economy) that recline further than the economy seats (38 inches in Business Class and 30 inches in Economy). Even though the seat does not recline to flat, it was a comfortable upright sleeping position overnight. However, when the person in front reclines there’s not much space to get in and out of the row.
The tray comes from the side and there is a footrest attached to the seat, but it doesn’t really go high enough for me. Still, much it is a more spacious experience than in economy.
The noise cancelling earphones were comfortable and effective and combined with a pillow and a fleece rug, make sleeping through the flight a real possibility.
Inflight entertainment
More than 50 movies and 500 television episodes are included in Business Class entertainment options. This includes a couple of new releases so this could be my chance to finally see Bohemian Rhapsody.
There’s a cute little black zip-up comfort pack with the obligatory socks (does anyone wear these?), ear plugs, eye mask, toothbrush and toothpaste and Milk & Co hand cream. I thought the best thing in the pack was a pen which came in very handy for filling out immigration forms.
An in-seat USB point is a handy addition to charge those devices that you forgot to do at home.
Business Class Seat Cost
Fares vary widely with Jetstar and there are often specials where you can pick up a real bargain. When I searched in February for a seat in July the cost was from $869 for a business class fare from Gold Coast to Tokyo (Narita). An economy seat for the same flight starts at around $300 plus extras.
If you are going to treat yourself with a comfortable flight, this is a pocket-friendly way to do it. It certainly makes the night trip home a lot easier and could be a good choice if you have to hit the ground running. The service was attentive and didn’t feel low-cost or budget.
Visit Jetstar for the latest fare information.
Compare this Jetstar flight with my flight from Sydney to Tokyo with Japan Airlines.
Travel tips
Here are some tips from some of Australia’s top travel writers on how to dress for a comfortable flight.
Getting a great flight deal is easier than you think when you use these tips.
Disclaimer
Eat drink and be Kerry travelled as a guest of Jetstar.
