Jetstar Airbus A320, a very uncomfortable plane to travel in is hurting Qantas' reputation

We recently flew from Bali to Perth (and then on to Melbourne). The section from Bali to Perth was on a Jetstar flight and the plane was an Airbus A320.

I have to say the Airbus A320 is the most uncomfortable plane I’ve ever flown on. I didn’t have a problem with leg room but the seats were extremely uncomfortable. They are far too upright and the recline is almost non-existent. The people behind me weren’t doing anything unusual but any movement was easily felt. Both my wife and myself thought the seats were the worst we’d experienced. As we stood up at the end of the flight a person a couple of seats behind me said, “they’d never fly Qantas again”. I couldn’t help but feel the same way. My Qantas loyalty has now all but gone.

Since returning I’ve spoken to three others who have flown Jetstar and the feedback is the same. Terribly uncomfortable seats. We travelled the Sydney to Bali leg on an A330 which I didn’t find as uncomfortable (about the usual level of discomfort). The irony, the leg between Perth and Melbourne on an ageing Boing 737 felt like luxury compared to the Airbus A320.

The problem for Qantas is they need to compete and Jetstar is their low cost carrier. However, as a consumer I don’t differentiate between Jetstar and Qantas. I booked on the Qantas site and had no choice but to fly some of the trip on Jetstar. My uncomfortable trip to me is simply a Qantas flight . Obviously the person behind me felt the same way. They didn’t say they’d never fly Jetstar again, they said Qantas.

If Qantas are going to survive in this age of discount airfares they need to make sure they reach a minimum level of comfort we expect when travelling. We all expect cramped conditions, poor legroom, but this time Qantas had crossed the line. Qantas has now just become another airline to us. It is no longer the preferred airline. To me that is a shame.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.JustLocal.com.au

PS. One person I spoke to said the lack of recline was their own fault as they’d booked seats over the exits for extra legroom. However the lack of a decent amount of recline also was an issue for me and I was in a normal seat. Another couple I spoke to were in business class. Their experience was the same so the extra money spent on tickets didn’t improve their experience.