Experiencing Business Class on Jetstar

It’s been a couple of hours into the flight and it’s been great so far inside Jetstar’s Business Class. The hostesses were polite and generous. The menu was gratifying and my co-passenger was a delightful elderly lady from Melbourne whose company was proving to be highly engaging. And so under the sunny skies of wintery Melbourne, the flight readied to take me off to Singapore.

Slowly sinking into the soft leathery seats I purred with delight. The 38-inch wide seat pitch seemed to gently clasp my tired and sore back and I dreamily looked on as passengers filled the plane. I had a rather tiring bus journey the night before and scampered the length of the Melbourne Airport to ensure that I caught this flight on time. And so with a tired neck, a stiff shoulder, a sore back and legs screaming for heavenly mercy, I boarded Jetstar’s JQ7 seeking solace.

It wasn’t too long before the passengers settled down. In the meantime I was pretty pleased to stretch out my 6-foot frame in the roomy comfort the wide leather seats. I toyed with some of the seat controls and discovered that along with the incline the seat also came with fold out foot rest. And so with my back and legs perfectly postured for maximum comfort, my elbows rested on wide arm rests, I clasped my hands around my chest and looked up at the high ceiling.

The Jetstar Business Class experience starts from the moment you get to the airport with a dedicated check-in area and priority boarding

I wasn’t thinking of anything. I was not lost in some deep thought. A man can lie around absolutely still with no thoughts whatsoever. My reverie was soon broken with the arrival of an air hostess with a pretty smile carrying a tray of drinks. The choice was simple – wine, water or orange juice. It was too early for me to have wine, so I decided on orange juice and water.

The plane meanwhile taxied down the runway as the flight crew began their customary drill on safety procedures. The take off was perfect and off we went into a clear blue sky heading north-west to Singapore. Sitting by the window seat and watching the land disappear; I slowly dozed off into a power nap.

I awoke sometime around the time the seat belt signs were switched off and saw that the friendly airhostess was back with some more drinks. This time there seemed to be a larger variety on offer and she had some snacks as well. This is pretty cool I thought to myself. Business class travel aboard Jetstar has until now been a cozy and comfortable affair. Comfort for a few extra coins is highly advantageous.

On board you’ll enjoy a choice of meals, a personal entertainment system, extra legroom and more

Having a delightful co-passenger makes a pleasant journey. Mine was an old lady who seemed to love crime fiction! We were soon engaged in some serious discussion about the writing styles of Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie and to more modern writers like Tim Willocks and John Sandford. She was off to Singapore to visit her son’s family who was settled there and that she was carrying lots of presents for her grandchildren and daughter-in-law. It was here I discovered one of the other advantages of travelling business class with Jetstar…

I usually travel light but business class travel on Jetstar provides a passenger an allowance of 2 items of carry-on baggage up to 10kg each and 30kg of checked baggage. In addition, a passenger can purchase a further extra 10kg if necessary. This is a whopping 40kg of checked baggage! That’s a lot of stuff one can cart along. I reckon every female member of my family would jump with glee at such glad tidings!

I dozed off again and had an uncomfortable dream where I saw myself lugging heavy baggage across airports worldwide. I saw my wife chuckling with gay abandon alongside and smiling Jetstar check-in agents who were happily checking in her baggage without a murmur!

The Jetstar Business Class comes in 2-3-2 seat configuration

The delicious aroma of lunch being served woke me up. The hostess served a simple yet delightful fare comprising of creamy tomato and basil soup, followed by salad (rocket leaves with balsamic and olive oil dressing). For the main course I choose Pumpkin Ravioli – pumpkin filled with fresh egg pasta pillows, bound in crème Fraiche tomato, wild mushroom ragout, shaved parmesan & broccoli flowers. Lunch included oven warmed sourdough rolls with butter and Mövenpick ice cream for dessert.

I bet you would be wondering what other options were on that menu. Well the soup and the salad had no other but the main course had an option of Chinese Black pepper beef served with rice wine and Yang Chow fried rice and oriental greens and yet another choice was Grilled Salmon fillet, garden herb butter sauce, served with smooth parmesan polenta and slow braised Mediterranean vegetables. For dessert you could choose between an Australian cheese plate featuring King Island double brie, smoked cheddar and Cobram vintage cheddar or ice cream with a swig of Baileys Irish Cream. I choose the latter.

I love food and can indulge in eating all day without a care in the world about bulging waistlines or what my fitness obsessed friends though about it. And herein lays the third advantage of Jetstar Business Class travel. They serve you a luxurious 3-course lunch/dinner and in addition to those gourmet inflight snacks I mentioned earlier they also served boutique wine and brewed Grinders coffee. They are the first Low Cost Carrier to have won the Cellars in the Sky award.

After tucking in two helpings of ice cream with Baileys Irish Cream, I sat back with a cup of coffee and looked outside the window. We were flying over arid land. Far below nothing seems to be growing, no trees, no habitation, just a vast expanse of brown earth interspaced by some lakes at irregular intervals. I couldn’t help wonder what could ever survive out there in the great Australian outback.

Rest comfortably in our wide leather seats with a 38inch/86cm seat pitch for plenty of room to stretch out. A foldout footrest gives your legs extra support and in-seat power lets you charge your laptop or phone

My co-passenger was deeply engrossed in her crime novel trying to help the hero solve the crime and it was time for me to examine some of the complimentary packs lying in the seat pocket in front of me. Yes, you get complimentary items from Jetstar! Why does it surprise me? Well I am simply not used to getting complimentary items from a low cost carrier.

A neat looking Amenity Kit was the first thing to catch my eye. Opening it I discovered an inflatable pillow, toothbrush and toothpaste, earplugs, socks, eye shades, tissue, pen, branded lip balm and hand cream. But the big deal here is that the Amenity kit is actually a reusable tablet case! I can use it for my iPad and it looks cool. That’s pretty thoughtful of Jetstar.

A headset is provided as well which is designed with the sole purpose to reduce noise. I later used it on my computer to listen to some music and it did just great. For entertainment Jetstar provides an iPad that’s preloaded with a selected choice of movies, TV shows, Games, Books and Music. But honestly, the choice is pretty limited and I felt it was a bit dated. But it’s noteworthy to observe that the airline has made efforts to provide a choice. They have the outlet and pretty soon they may improve on it.

Your personal entertainment system gives unlimited access to movies, TV programs, music and children’s content. The purpose-built headset is designed to reduce surrounding noise

Time seemed to have passed quite quickly. We were soon on the home stretch to Singapore. Some more food was served much to my delight and the flight soon began its descent into Singapore. I hadn’t slept much on this flight. I was too busy eating everything they served me but yet I was pretty relaxed and refreshed. Peering outside I saw the flight enter the familiar sights of Singapore’s fabulous Changi Airport.

Jetstar operates flights 5 times weekly between Melbourne and Singapore. For more details visit the Jetstar official website.

The dedicated business class cabin gives you the extra space and comfort to make your journey easier. Our business class team provide an exceptional service

Entertainment on the A330 can either be handheld or self-stand on your seat table

Flights from Melbourne to Singapore are always full, so make sure you book early if you want to fly Business Class

Light snack time – Beef and cheese steak sandwich. Meals included in your Business Class fare include deluxe three course lunches and dinners and gourmet in-flight snacks

A couple of days later, I flew back to Australia. But this time it was on Jetstar’s newest aircraft – the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. This swanky aircraft is as graceful as a swan and flies like a dream. Stay tuned for that update… watch this space!

**Travel and Beyond was hosted by Jetstar Asia. All opinions are our own.**