Summary
- 400 million customers have flown in 20 years.
- Some of the original crew on board the reenacted first flight.
- New exciting era of low-cost travel ahead.
Yesterday, Australian low-cost carrier Jetstar marked its 20th Birthday since launching flights on May 25, 2004. To celebrate the milestone, Jetstar reenacted its inaugural flight of twenty years ago from Newcastle Airport in New South Wales to Melbourne Airport, although not with a Boeing 717 that the airline used to kick start its operations.
400 million and counting
When Jetstar launched in 2004, Australian aviation was still digesting the death of Ansett Airlines, the arrival of Virgin Blue and the Qantas takeover of regional and domestic carrier Impulse Airlines. The flag carrier felt a burning need to counter Virgin Blue, which was growing more successful, with a truly budget airline and used the shell of Impulse Airlines and its fleet of Boeing 717s to do that.
Photo: Airbus
Since then, the Jetstar Group has branched out with operations in Asia and New Zealand and today, Jetstar Airways, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Qantas Group, operates in Australia and New Zealand. Based in Singapore, Jetstar Asia Airways is a joint venture majority-owned by Singapore company Westbrook Investments (51%), with the Qantas Group holding the remaining 49%. Jetstar Japan is a partnership between the Qantas Group, Japan Airlines and Tokyo Century Corporation.
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The carrier has a exciting history.
Some original crew onboard
Yesterday’s reenactment took the form of Jetstar JQ471 from Newcastle to Melbourne, operated with a 2013 Airbus A320-200, registration VH-VFQ and MSN 05780. The flight departed Newcastle Airport (NTL) at 09:04 and, after a 1:13-hour flight, landed at Melbourne Airport (MEL), Jetstar’s home base, at 10:17.
Photo: Jetstar Airways
On hand to welcome the aircraft was Jetstar CEO Stephanie Tully, who said the airline has been putting downward pressure on airfares for 20 years and that its commitment to helping Australians take off was as strong as ever.
“While it’s our birthday, today is about celebrating the 400 million customers who’ve chosen to fly with us across Australia, New Zealand, Asia and the Pacific over the past two decades. As we welcome new aircraft into the fleet and add more destinations to our network, we’re excited about the next 20 years and a new era of low-cost travel in Australia.”
While the aircraft was an Airbus A320 rather than a Boeing 717, and the crew wore the new uniforms that will be released later this year, the celebratory flight had several of the same original pilots, cabin crew and customers onboard. They included Jetstar Captain Jeff Bray, who was on the flight deck as co-pilot for the first flight in 2004.
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He said that while he had flown on thousands of Jetstar flights since, “today’s service is particularly special for the team,” adding that it was a moment to reunite with other long-serving colleagues with whom he started on May 25, 2004. Bray also made note of the many first-time flyers he had welcomed and how Jetstar’s low fares had made flying more affordable, while the airline said that more than half of the 400 million customers had paid less than AU$100 ($66).
Jetstar has had its fair share of ups and downs, but it has been and continues to be, a success story that has developed its own niche in the market. Today, it is flying a modern fleet, with new Airbus A321neos regularly arriving, to 150 domestic and international destinations, including New Zealand, Japan, Hawaii, Fiji, Bali and Rarotonga in the Cook Islands.
Have you flown with Jetstar? Let us know in the comments.