Jetstar B787 Business Class Review
Australia's low fares airline is getting fancy
Jetstar is partway through refreshing its Boeing 787 fleet, which includes installing an all-new Business Class cabin that has more than doubled in size. At the time of writing, two of eleven aircraft have received the upgrade, and I flew Brisbane to Seoul on one of them to see exactly what's changed.
But let's get one thing out of the way first. Jetstar Business Class is more realistically described as Premium Economy. In fact, Jetstar’s new Business seat is the same Recaro PL3530 used by Emirates, Cathay Pacific and other airlines in Premium Economy.
When you consider the price, Jetstar offers one of the better premium products flying out of Australia. The new seat is impressive for what it's worth, and I quite enjoyed my flight.
Who funded this review?
The writer travelled as a guest of Jetstar. This review is not sponsored and was not previewed by the airline.
Booking Jetstar Business Class
Jetstar's usual asking price for Business from Brisbane to Seoul sits around $1,500, but I was able to locate seats for as little as $779.
For comparison, Korean Air operates the same route with Business fares from roughly $4,000 and no Premium Economy option. Cathay Pacific's Premium Economy to Hong Kong (a similar distance) starts around $2,000.
My point is that while Jetstar Business isn't industry-leading, it doesn't need to be because you're getting many of the inclusions at a fraction of the price. Plus on some dates, its cheaper than Korean Air Economy.
You can also redeem Qantas Points for Jetstar Business Class, and for Brisbane to Seoul you’d need 73,800 points plus $200 in taxes. That might sound good, but Jetstar reward pricing is only marginally cheaper than booking the equivalent Qantas flight, and with cash fares as low as $780, you're better off holding onto those Qantas Points for a high-value redemption.
Brisbane Ground Experience
Jetstar's Brisbane check-in is fully automated, though there are some staff on hand to assist with using the kiosks. There is a dedicated section for Business Class passengers, which was rather busy when I arrived.
As this wasn’t a Business Max fare, no lounge access was included. Not a dealbreaker as the Qantas International Lounge in Brisbane is temporarily located before security and immigration. Thankfully I was able to visit the Plaza Premium lounge as a perk of my American Express Platinum Card.
At the boarding gate, it was announced that there would be a short delay and that guests should download content as the inflight entertainment and WiFi systems were broken. The latter turned out to be completely untrue, more on that below.
Boarding had a dedicated priority lane, with Business called first to board.
Seat & Cabin
Jetstar's Business Class seats are arranged 2-3-2, with the wide quilted leather seats looking pretty flashy. At first glance they do appear rather thin, so I am pleased to sit down and find they are nicely padded.
A good quality pillow, wafer thin blanket, and amenity kit was waiting at each seat. The kit was pretty good, and even included an inflatable neck pillow - something I haven’t seen before.
Seat pitch is set at 38 inches (96.5cm) and width 19 inches (48cm). If we’re comparing Premium Economy on other airlines, this is pretty standard.
For a daytime flight I found the setup to be more than adequate. The width especially was great at my window seat, with a solid gap under the armrest.
Below each seat is a foldable footrest and drink bottle holder.
Recline and the calf rest are both controlled by a manual button set into the centre console. When both are deployed the seat is comfortable, and despite this being a day flight I was able to manage some rest.
You will also find two fast-charging USB-C ports here.
Of course there are no seatback screens, instead you will find a fold down device holder. I’m not sure why one of those charging outlets wasn’t included in the seatback, as it would be far more convenient for a BYOD setup.
One practical tip: avoid 7A and 7B if you can help it. That pair misses out on a window entirely.
Entertainment & WiFi
Both entertainment and WiFi is offered free to Jetstar passengers seated in Business Class, with an option to log in using your seat number and booking reference. As mentioned, we were informed both at the boarding gate and once onboard that the inflight entertainment system and WiFi was broken. However, this wasn’t the case and I found both to be working perfectly fine.
Wi-Fi is offered by ViaSat (the same network as Qantas uses) and although I was getting a disappointing 5-10 mbps download speed, the connection seemed to work well and was good enough for streaming.
The choice of movies is decent and includes a number of new releases. But BYOD has one catch that is especially noticeable in Business. More legroom means the seat in front is further away, so a phone in the holder feels tiny. A tablet is the sweet-spot, but as someone who already travels with a phone and laptop, it seems like pointless weight to lug around.
Food & Beverage
A choice of water, orange juice or sparkling wine was offered after boarding. Meal orders were also taken on the ground, with a single paper menu shared around the cabin rather than one per passenger.
Service was prompt after takeoff, and I started with a ginger ale and a packet of pretzels.
Then came the meal, which was served on a single tray without a tablecloth or napkin. I went with the basil ravioli and roast pumpkin, which was good, but still firmly in freezer-meal territory.
Where Jetstar did impress was the snack tray, which was plentiful and came around three separate times over the flight. In fact, the crew were more attentive in the cabin than I have seen onboard some full-service airlines.
Another meal was served about two hours before landing, which I skipped in favour of sleep.
Crew & Service
The crew on my flight were wonderful, and I really do appreciate when airlines give their staff the breathing room to actually engage with passengers more personally. There was a genuine warmth to the service that's hard to fake, and the crew were relaxed, chatty, and quick with a joke rather than reciting a dull script.
Summing Up: My Take
Jetstar's refreshed Business Class is a comfortable way to fly, but it is a lot closer to a great Premium Economy product than true long-haul Business. The new seat on the 787 Dreamliner is pretty good and overall the inclusions punch well above what you'd expect at this price point.
In terms of negatives, the ground service in Brisbane was a little unfortunate, and the onboard meal wasn't mind blowing. The lack of seatback screens is also frustrating in a premium cabin.
At the right price, I'd book Jetstar Business again without hesitation. After all, it can sometimes be cheaper than booking a full-service airline in Economy, and the experience is clearly superior.
