40love

Not sure if anyone here can answer this question but curious to know how often Gold/Elite customers would travel on Jetstar domestic due to cost/fare difference. Rarely? Sometimes? Often?

I imagine it wouldn't be never, but keen to hear thoughts from others about how people evaluate this decision.

MrLovebucket

At least half a dozen flights in the last two months. Partially to earn QF status and in some cases due to price. All flights departed/arrived on time but the weather in all cases was kind.

The WLG gate area gets very chaotic and claustrophobic but otherwise quite bearable.

I am a multi-year Elite based in Wellington for context.

40love

I didn't even look at the JQ site until I was monitoring and saw prices on NZ rise steadily over the past 6 weeks - initially a $10 bump on every base fare, then the sneaky $10 bag price increase, and now the bucket issue sbiddle has found.

What shocked me is that when I looked at JQ their prices seem to be going DOWN not up...

Markhm

I am flying next week chc-akl to connect to a QF flight. I am balancing 2 x FFP now. First time on JQ so bit apprehensive about carry on (and security at AKL international ). Mate is a JQ pilot and I tease him about being late….might be me on Monday!

WLGNZ

I use JQ often these days. Recently for my flight timings the price was half of AirNZ.
JQ schedule is a lot thinner than AirNZ so if timing is an issue end up on AirNZ.
AirNZ is the only option to most of the regions.
i have been Elite for over 20 years.

Ellice

I use Jq as it’s frequently way cheaper than air nz close in on the akl-wlg route. Always on time. I just pay for the upfront seats and sometimes the fare credit option. Still cheaper than airnz. Sometimes pay for extra cabin luggage. Will start to buy the Jq max fares as I’m chasing one world status following the qf double status credit promo last month. Just trying to diversify options on long haul travel out of nz… elite for the past 15+ years.

kiwifrequentflyer

I have had many people have such absurdly bad experiences with JQ that I honestly don't think to check it for domestic flights. And I would only consider risking flying it internationally if their business class was close enough to economy on another carrier. I know multiple people who flew to Bali with them who had very bad experiences getting home again.

For TT flights, since I am not AKL based, I don't have any loyalty and will fly with whoeever has the best flight time, including JQ.
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Johnnynz

I use Jetstar fairly often despite being Air NZ Elite. Sometimes the price disparity is just to bib to ignore or if I'm flying last minute the time I need is often booked on Air NZ. Last week it was something like $140 Jet star vs. over $400 Air NZ for the flight I needed.

Service and on time ratio has been ok but if I need to be somewhere at a certain time I would book Air NZ instead. Not that Air NZ has been the safest be on that post covid either...

akl_cat

I fly JQ when a similar flight to NZ is available and say 20%+ cheaper (which is often now), unless it's a route with only one or a few JQ flights a day and I absolutely needed to get to the destination. The lounge and the extra leg seat is only worth paying a 20% premium in my mind.

I have always stuck on Gold as I never tried to get enough NZ metal-specific SPs to go to Elite. Virtually all my flights to EU is with EK so better to also have status with them (which is also good for QF but sadly not JQ) than just Elite.

CHCflyer

I use JQ once a month. I find their gate bag policing aggressive - in fact their airport experience is sub-par, but the onboard experience is better than NZ if you book the fare that includes a cheese toastie and a cuppa on the CHC-AKL route.
They are always (three digits) cheaper than NZ on the routes I fly. I am about 15 years gold elite with another 15 banked years.
I fly regionally a lot and this is where NZ have me hostage to their fares.
NZ is squandering loyalty. I am on the HKG soon and I am starting to hate the 787 experience simply because it is two generations out of date but premium-priced. I looked enviously at the launch of the third J-class iteration at Cathay yesterday and NZ has the temerity to call theirs Business Premier.
I've had it with NZ.

drajknox

Maybe it ought to be renamed Business bygone, or perhaps with today’s language Business OG or should that be Business OBsolete!

Having said when a TA offered me Business Class fares on JQAsia last year for a connecting flight I asked them to use Ethiopian Airlines - never got to try them as they couldn’t find a seat and as wasn’t going to accept JQAsia business and there was no other option with a couple of days before trip I didn’t go.

Of course if NZ Business fares were priced closer to where they sit in the market many would be more accepting of the often inferior physical product.

CHCflyer

Funny you should mention ET. I used them this week on a flight from Japan to Korea. It was a 788 and a very average product - wedgie lie-flat. A tediously long serious safety video. But I got to try Ethiopian wine.

But back to Air NZ. I flew long haul in J-class today arriving with a wheelie bag as hand luggage. I asked at the regional terminal if I could check the bag in as fast bag. No. I can check it in properly but they can't break the itinerary for fast bag check in but can for regular bag check. Come on now, I thought I would save locker space for the other wheelies but I have to take a degraded service that I have earned.
And my domestic flight is full-Y but earns a huge A$8 because it is a prop flight on part of an international J-class itinerary.so I have to suck up the earning.
Does anyone from NZ read these comments? I hope so.

edmm

This is one of my biggest bug bears with Air NZ (along with overcrowded lounges, dreadful phone system, lack of benefits for Elites...) we can fast bag to Auckland if we have an overnight stay, then hand luggage in J, but not if it is same day. In reverse they will let us fast bag about half the time at the premium desk, and the other times say it isn't possible, so it gets checked in so it can come off the belt last in our provincial centre. We have written to complain a couple of times, but they show no willingness to fix what should be an easy fix.
We love fast bag, but I wish they would fix this simple issue to make it usable.

CHCflyer

What irritates me is that last month I arrived in AKL regional check in for my NZ flight on a QF code (SIN-SYD-AKL-reginal port) and they could do the fast bag check in although it took a supervisor to show the agent the work-around. Today the agent called the supervisor and the computer said no. They actually make it easier to use the competition on NZ metal than for NZ's own customers.