Bad news for Jetstar passengers
Jetstar has commenced a bold plan to add an extra row of economy seating onto its planes.
The budget airline has squeezed the new row into 43 of Jetstar’s A320 fleet by rearranging the toilets and reducing the galley space.
The airline has claimed that this decision will keep airfares down as they will be operating on a higher-volume basis.
“This is the latest cabin design from Airbus, which is smarter about the way space is used on the aircraft and allows for an extra row of seats and more baggage space,” Dean Salter, CEO of Jetstar Australia and New Zealand, said in a statement.
“The additional six seats improve the economics of these aircraft and help us to keep offering the low fares we are known for and maintain a great customer experience.”
Salter added, “These aircraft will allow us to carry more customers, particularly at peak times, to holiday destinations.”
Each plane will see the number of seats increase from 180 to 186. Jetstar predicts that this increase will result in an extra 600,000 passengers every year without adding any extra flights.
The airline has also said that leg room or seat width hasn’t changed with the addition of the six extra seats.
In April, a global consumer survey released by Choice ranked Jetstar as the worst airline in the world.
Choice and 10 other consumer groups surveyed 11,000 passengers from Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, France, Italy, Portugal and Spain.
The survey considered airline check-ins and boarding processes as well as meals, punctuality and cleanliness.
Jetstar claimed the survey had no credibility due the number of people who ranked Jetstar.
Jetstar spokesman Luke Enright said the 100 respondents who ranked Jetstar was “around half the number of people we carry on one flight and a lot less than 34 million customers who flew with us last year.”
Enright added, “They also called it an international survey but only surveyed people from eight countries.”
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