So here's the rub - my flight was booked through Chatdeal even though I bought it under the Kayak umbrella. All the return flights were theoretically through Air New Zealand, however except for the initial leg from New Zealand, they were all partnered flights. So when I arrived at the airport in New Zealand they could only issue me my ticket to Fiji. Once in Fiji I had to do some serious leg work and finagling to get my ticket to Los Angeles through Fiji Air. This included a monitored covid RAT that I wasn't aware I needed to do. So I gave the score I did because of the complexity and annoyance created in the process of getting a boarding pass for my Nadi-LA flight.
No refunds for flights that I could not take due to Covid restrictions
Pros: "The crew was excellent and we appreciated the ability to change seats after takeoff."
Pros: "Comfortable seats."
Pros: "Hasn’t occurred yet"
Cons: "Hasn’t occurred yet"
Pros: "Well coordinated loading of plane. Good food service. Well informed.."
Cons: "Nothing.."
Pros: "The crew was great. Really friendly, we got skycouch and it was really comfortable"
Cons: "Food was a bit too rich, maybe a lighter option in the menu would be useful as both were quite thick sauces."
Pros: "All good"
Cons: "It was very cold so the cabin could have been warmer"
Cons: "Generally ok for econ"
Cons: "They need to bring around water more often. And actually offer it to people in the window seat."
Pros: "Everything"
Cons: "I can’t be more demanding. Everything on the flight were good."
Pros: "I was disappointed that Air New Zealand charges US15 to reserve specific seats. For our party of 3, that would be US90 RT so I didn't do it. But at the gate I asked for window seats and the attendant gave us excellent seats at the front of the plane."
Cons: "No issues that caused us any problems."
Pros: "The crew were very welcoming and made you feel special. The food was great! The burger was tremendous! The films very up to date."
Cons: "The seat is comfortable but doesnt recline enough, I dont like the fact that you need to flip the seat to get it flat, when is it flat its rock hard! Good on AirNZ for providing the foam mattress topper it helps. ButOnce its flat you cant really watch TV."
Pros: "A whole season of New Girl!"
Cons: "Was very crammed."
Cons: "Terrible customer service."
Pros: "Great pitch"
Cons: "All good: 777:300"
Pros: "Very friendly flight attendants"
Cons: "Constant threats about weight of carryons & then didn’t check or weigh anything"
Pros: "This flight was on the 777-300 plane leased from EVA. Boarding proved to be a bit of a slow grind due to the inordinate number of families with children on this particular flight. Our fault for not realising this at time of booking. Flight itself went very smoothly. Seats were fine. Not a huge selection of movies to choose from. Felt the crew went about their duties without fuss and ticked all the boxes for me."
Pros: "Baggage made it all the way to Queenstown from Perth"
Cons: "Check -in staff said that there were no seats available in emergency exit rows so put us in the row in front. We couldn't recline and thete were several seats empty in the emergency exit row behind us."
Pros: "Comfortable seats"
Pros: "Nice flight"
Cons: "That they left my luggage, 1 piece off entire flight! A brightly patterned piece! In 50 years of flying!!! Has NEVER happened! Had to spend the 1st several hours running around looking for underwear and jacket! Not a great start to vacation! And $100 nzd doesn't buy much!"
Pros: "The airport was great! Very easy access, fast check in and security. Loved the LOTR theme. Uneventful and beautiful flight."
Cons: "Everything was great"
Pros: "Food"
Cons: "it was very cold"
Pros: "same as above"
Cons: "unalbe to select seats so we were spread out"
Pros: "Quick boarding"
Cons: "Delayed for about one hour."
Pros: "Punctuality. Confortable plane."
Pros: "Very professional staff"
Cons: "I don’t have an option of purchasing a meal during check in or at any moment during my booking."
Pros: "Seats were comfortable, bathrooms were good."
Cons: "Food was not good. No vegetable choice unless you had prearranged. Breakfast was just ok."
Pros: "Friendly and helpful staff"
Cons: "No WiFi or outlets on aircraft"
Pros: "friendly staff, ease of boarding"
Pros: "I was excited to see some notorious places as we flew into Queenstown....however, I wouldn't have known the places if I hadn't been sitting next to someone that knew the area."
Cons: "I can't complain about anything with Air New Zealand....I loved each flight with them."
Pros: "The customer service was great when I missed my flight."
Cons: "It was difficult to have a shorty layover and transfer from Auckland to Queenstown. I missed my flight."
Pros: "Premium Economy was worth the price! The section was not as full, and the service was wonderful."
Pros: "The pilot would tell us as we were flying over different mountains, regions etc, and the flight was not at all crowded, and there is so much more seat space than on any domestic American flight I’ve ever flown!"
Cons: "They charged 60NZD for one small checked bag! And then I misunderstood the policy on lithium batteries and switched my power banks from carry-on to checked bag and they confiscated them. So there goes that."
Pros: "The people and the service were top notch. I fly on numerous carriers and overall AirNZ has been my favorite, hands down, primarily because of the helpful kind friendly staff."
Cons: "Disembarking down onto the tarmac, and being made to stand out there for about 5 minutes (supposedly for safety's sake) while another plane was being pushed out from the next gate, all the while breathing in the choking nauseating jet exhaust fumes while our own plane was idling."
Pros: "Everything! It's Air NZ!"
Cons: "Nothing!"
Cons: "Issue with baggage, i.e. no indication of what was included in the ticket and no way to pre-pay for luggage (at what I already considered an exorbitant rate of 60$ per piece) so ended up having to pay120$ each for 2 checked bags at the airport!"
Pros: "Flight was on time, airplane was clean, flight attendants friendly and attentive. Very pleasant flying experience"
Pros: "Everything"
Cons: "Someone sitting in my seat already!"
Cons: "Having to pick up our bags and going through customs was horrible and stressful. Bags coming off the flight last made the customs line very long, after going through customs couldn't find where to check our bags on to Queenstown, finally found the the automatic check-in, too late only one person to help. So late had to walk to the domestic terimal, in a hurry. Finally found the check-in, checked all 3 bags, arrived in Queenstown, only two came in."
Cons: "We were booked on a 7 a.m. flight Wednesday morning. We arrived from Syndney the night before and wanted to make sure we were set for the early morning flight so went to an Air NZ information desk to get boarding pass. The agent printed out an e-ticket and said we were good to go. We arrived an hour and a half early to the gate, with our carry on bags as we have done all over the world. We heard an announcement about bags needing to be checked and assumed ours would be gate checked if needed (as anywhere else in the world). The gate agent didn't arrive til 20 minutes before the flight and told us we DIDN'T have a boarding pass and needed to return to the ticket agent and check our bags. By the time we ran back to the ticket agent we were told it was too late to check our bags. We had to pay $100 more a piece to fly LATER through Christ Church. We were on our way to meet our kids for vacation and ended up losing a day and $200 additional dollars because we were given inaccurate information by the Air New Zealand info desk."
Pros: "The service was great and the seats had a lot of leg room. Very easy to check in online and drop bags at the airport."
Cons: "The wine was delicious and I wanted more"
Cons: "They lost my bag and the flight was delayed."
Pros: "I liked having the pilot tell us about the mountains as we passed over them."
Pros: "The food and service was great"
Pros: "Air New Zealand has some of the friendliest cabin crews around. Their food is above average and they have a delicious array of wines served free with meals. My flight was interrupted by a medical emergency. We had to backtrack to the nearest airport, which added several hours to the flight. This meant a very long day for both passengers and crew. The crew remained cheerful and helpful throughout, in spite of cranky passengers."
Pros: "Beautiful air plane Nice flight assistants"
Cons: "The security person was incorrect about my Lithium battery causing me 45 minutes at the security check. I was also disappointed that even a coke needed to be paid for extra."
Pros: "More comfortable than expected."
Cons: "Could not check in online or at the kiosk (the flight was part of an overall ticket bought on Air New Zealand). Only one checked bag per ticket, but we had an extra bag because of the international legs. An employee got us checked in, bags tagged, and convinced us to carry on one more bag."
Pros: "Crew was OK, slow to respond to requests"
Cons: "The whole check in process was a joke, had a line up of 15 people and one agent"
Pros: "Nothing"
Cons: "That I was rebooked for a flight I showed up to before it took me off. Literally people that showed up after me got on the plane"
Pros: "Arrived safely"
Cons: "Horrible check in process from Syd to Melb. Leaving No time to make flight Horrible transit through Melb - missed connecting flight back to sydney Overall not great"
Pros: "The crew were so incredibly friendly and helpful! The food was delicious, and entertainment was great."
Cons: "Nothing. It was a great flight."
Pros: "It's a pleasant experience"
Pros: "This flight had significantly less turbulence than my flight to Melbourne"
Cons: "The headphone jack to watch movies was broken so I wasn’t able to watch anything over the 14 hour flight. This was especially frustrating because I had to pay for my seat selection and I assumed all of your seats would be in working order."
Pros: "Great crew. Friendly and responsive."
Cons: "Nothing"
Pros: "Nothing, I pay for premium economy and can’t use the partnerships lounge—what’s the point!"
Cons: "Nothing, I pay for premium economy and can’t use the partnerships lounge—what’s the point!"
Pros: "Flight crew is great"
Cons: "Didn’t like the the whole check in process. None of the system worked. Manual check in all the way and took so long. Not enough staff to service."
Pros: "The view"
Cons: "Poor food and no choice, only given tofu noodles! The general appearance of the plane was dated and worn, needs a refit. It felt more like a cheap budget airline not ‘the spirit of australia’ as branded. The touch screen was so bad that you forced the persons head in front to move when you pressed the screen."
Pros: "I’ll lile it all"
Cons: "My foot rest didn’t extend all the way up, button was broken"
Pros: "check in easy at Adelaide airport"
Cons: "The plane had small drop down screens every 4 or 5 rows which are totally inadequate for watching anything. gives no choice and poor sound quality (lag between vision and sound) Pork meal was some sort of tasteless slop in a cardboard box with rice and a green veg. It seem as if short flights are getting a raw deal with old planes and sub standard food, systems to save costs. If they cannot maintain a consistent level of standard across all their products let another provider in who can."
Pros: "Quick!"
Cons: "We sprinted to make our connecting flight - bags didn't make it. Got woken up at 2am to collect them after a whole day traveling."
Cons: "Long delay for the flight"
Pros: "Love those seat covers and overall comfort"
Cons: "My wife's headset channel, not the headset, was defective and was heavy with distortion. Overall, the plane seemed a bit worn. However, good floght overall."
Cons: "Flight delayed no updates in lounge then was rung to ask where i was as bostding closed. Told girl on phone on way bit thete was no flight status on tv in lounge... basically didnt believe me.. rude!!"
Cons: "Really unnecessary delays."
Pros: "Good was good"
Cons: "I sat in seat 77c the seat in front of me had something broken so my seat table kept falling down. Other than that it was good"
Pros: "Crew was excellent! Very friendly and attentive - entertainment selection was great and the plane stayed nice and cool which is really helpful for a 15hr flight - no one needs 300 sweaty people for 15 its."
Cons: "That we were required to check our overhead bag because it weighed more than 15lbs. Meanwhile as we boarded nearly every passenger had an overhead bag that most certainly weighed more than 15lbs. Not sure what was going on there...also the seats are a little tight when reclined. Once the seat in front of me reclined back I had my knees in the back of the chair the entire flight and I am not a particularly tall person- made for a pretty uncomfortable 15hrs."
Cons: "The flight was cancelled due to technical difficulties. But the airline did not plan ahead and was understaffed to take care of the individuals on the airline to speed up the process of waiting in lines. They knew we were coming and still only had 2 individuals on staff to take care of hundreds of people so the lines were longer than needed to be. Poor planning and accommodating of individuals during this time has made me not want to fly with this airline again."
Pros: "The movies would not play until two hours outside of LA."
Pros: "The food is excellent. The flying attendant is friendly"
Cons: "The plane was very late"
Pros: "Good food on the plane; friendly staff."
Cons: "Horrible accomodations; I've never been in a flight this tight before. It was miserable the whole way. Even Southwest is roomier. I should have taken an American carrier. Space is the number one priority on a flight across the Pacific, and Qantas really doesn't understand that. I've taken Delta, American, and United across both ponds. Stick with them! After all, I can make my own food."
Cons: "Bathrooms were disgusting, plane was dirty"
Pros: "Crew was amazingly helpful in all my enquiries"
Cons: "All amazing nothing to complain about it"
Pros: "The new clear aircraft"
Cons: "The fruit was not ripe and not edible."
Pros: "Gf food was good"
Cons: "Tight searing"
Pros: "On time efficient service"
Cons: "Food."
Pros: "Everything on time."
Pros: "Amazing crew and staff."
Cons: "No vegetetarian food option, seat 16f was soiled, fold down tray had sticky residue from previous flight(s)."
Cons: "We had requested a wheelchair for my mum on her flight from SFO to Perth. But on arrival in Sydney, she was not offered a wheelchair. We had checked with a quanta staff while getting our boarding pass about the wheelchair and she said they will be providing her with it. So disappionted. How will I be able to trust quantas again while booking tickets for aged/sick people?"
Cons: "I made the same flight last year on a newer plane. This time I missed having water bottles available at all times."
Pros: "The crew was helpful. Food was good. Really like the individual entertainment screens!"
Cons: "Sad because it was more crowded and we couldn't get by a window. On top of that, the sky cam must have been broken so we couldn't even watch from our screens. I won't travel on a Friday again. Would be nice to have a bit more leg room!"
Cons: "Paying extra for seats. Having to contact each airline to get seats together. Size of seats"
Pros: "On Time performance"
Cons: "Catering/Food"
Cons: "I was surprised that we were flying a different carrier than Emirates"
Cons: "Delays at the airport Economy very uncomfortable Crappy food"
Pros: "Even though these are older aircraft, they have been refurbished and in the premium economy service the staff were excellent."
Cons: "The leg rest didn't go up very far."
Pros: "on time"
Cons: "very rough ride"
Pros: "plane will clean and service pleasant. hot meal service on 2.5 hour fight."
Cons: "limit weight of roller carry on limited to 8 kg, though did not check weight of shoulder bags New Zealand immigration is intense with bio inspection - check that you do not have any nuts or other issues as took a long time to inspect packaged food bought at Sydney airport Prior to check-in, needed evidence of flight leaving New Zealand, not just confirm number - paper with actual ticket number"
Cons: "Crew are now full of attitude for some reason almost cold and unfriendly. Also the seats are very firm and uncomfortable."
Pros: "Staff obliging food excellent on time all good"
Cons: "All good"
Pros: "Screen size is better and bigger"
Pros: "Wine and speed of service was excellent. Friendly and approachable crew."
Pros: "Crew were amazing!"
Pros: "Documentaries, food, wine, service, seats"
Cons: "Turbulence"
Pros: "Yes the crew was great."
Pros: "No complaints, relatively spacious economy seats"
Cons: "Food was nothing to write home about"
Pros: "Crew was good, seat was tight."
Cons: "Was sitting next to a drunk guy, but was Ok, he slept most of the way. Police and paramedics met him at arrival. Caused some delays. Not Virgin's fault."
Cons: "Flight delayed by 45 min Lost my checked bag"
Pros: "Short flight, and getting a meal made it go faster"
Cons: "Can’t really think of anything"
Pros: "Landed 30mins early"
Cons: "Better management of people boarding from the front"
Pros: "Business class manager really looked after my food allergy requirement."
Cons: "New crew member - belatedly realised I was in business."
Cons: "despite being an international flight, there was no charging station in the gate or on the plane the food was subpar to competing airlines that fly the same route serious lack of entertainment options again despite being an international flight"
Pros: "Virgin Australia crew members have been extremely courteous in my recent flights with them."
Cons: "We got bumped to quantus flight at the last minute. VA was not helpful is getting us to the new flight."
Pros: "Crew was good."
Cons: "Seating ok for say a flight from Syd. to Melb. But not adequate for a short haul international flight. Lack of food is disappointing."
Pros: "I'd already been in the air a total of 18 hours so this flight was only 1.5 hours so the finish line was in sight, could hardly wait for it all to be over"
Cons: "Already be there"
Pros: "nothing"
Cons: "vegetarian meal was a small side salad and soggy. this over lunchtime so was a disgrace for business class"
Cons: "Crew asking borderline rude questions, e.g., didn’t you hear..."
Cons: "We arrived 3_ hours early to check in for a 12-22 flight but had to stand in line much longer than necessary because passengers who arrived late for flights that were departing were checked in before we were. We understand that the airline is trying to check in passengers for departing flights so they can leave on time but they need a better system to avoid penalizing passengers who follow the rules. Our flight was delayed 90 minutes, causing us to potentially miss our connection in LA. We were not provided any information in flight or immediately upon getting off the flight to calm our worries about missing the connecting flight. So we stood in customs and immigration lines hoping to make it. Only after we collected our luggage, were we told that we had been rebooked on another flight from LA to DC (our final destination). We could have been given that information in flight or at least when we got off the plane to avoid being stressed in customs and immigration. The airline needs a much better way to handle delays for passengers who are going to miss connecting flights."
Cons: "Virgin appears to have lost its way in its treatment of business class passengers from Fiji to Brisbane. Gone is the lounge to relax in prior to boarding , long ques and bottlenecks in "priority " lines whilst trying to board and then there is that other affliction that they now suffer from poor quality meals and selection of same Oh well so much for that wonderful experience of flying at the front of the aircraft"
Pros: "Fast flight"
Cons: "Delayed departure due to headwinds for incoming aircraft"
Pros: "Economy X was excellent value for getting 3 seats between 2, best I've ever slept in economy. Plane was late arriving before departure so boarding was late but we did leave and arrive on time. As I had an upset stomach the crew were nice enough to give me extra crackers and it was no hassle getting me herbal tea."
Cons: "Would be nice to have onboard entertainment included"
Pros: "Movie selection was good. Complimentary wine was excellent and plentiful."
Cons: "Seat room was cramped."
Pros: "Quick, efficient, all you want and need for a flight to Melbourne."
Pros: "Nice ppl"
Cons: "Nothing it was great!"
Pros: "Flight was fine. Food was fine."
Cons: "A wheel was broken off our new samsonite luggage. Virgin does not care."
Cons: "It got very cold and I was freezing"
Pros: "We arrived safely and on time"
Cons: "This was the only airline you had to pay for a soft drink."
Pros: "The Economy X seats and legroom were very good. Staff were also very good"
Cons: "I did not like their entertainment package i.e. movie selection and particularly the TV shows. The ABC NEWS was a joke."
Cons: "We paid for business class flight and were made to pay additional for change of days, but despite they're being seats in business class, we were not upgrade"
Pros: "Thanks Simone and team."
Cons: "Entertainment choices limited"
Cons: "I didn't like the fact that there were no snacks served between dinner and breakfast. It was a long flight and some snack could have been offered"
Pros: "Guy at check in counter helped us with our visa into Australia and was friendly and helpful"
Cons: "Flight crew was standoffish and bathrooms were not fully supplied"
Pros: "Had more then normal snacks."
Cons: "High numbered srat assignments board fron back of plane. This requires you to climb down & up stairs with carry-on bags. Would be good to mention when making reservation & seat assignments."
Pros: "Good entertainment, nice crew. Enjoyed the flight!"
Pros: "Staff were fantastic"
Cons: "Food options"
Pros: "Because the flight was short, we had no entertainment options offered. I think I’d like flying more if movies were show, even if the whole airplane shows one movie like they used to do. Otherwise, it was a normal flight...nothing memorable. Though, my fiancé did love the granola bars and raves about them after the flight. I didn’t eat mine so I gave mine to him."
Cons: "No entertainment options"
Pros: "nice aircraft. hosts were promt to address any issue."
Cons: "lack of movie options especially hindi movies"
Pros: "Flying on Xmas and the crew was fun, dressed up and singing. I loved their energy. However when it was time to deplane their little singing number held up passengers from disembarking so that was annoying but I enjoyed it anyway :)"
Cons: "That they several meals to those who pre ordered them and did the entirel plane and then came back to do the regular drink/ cart service. This mean we went almost 2 hours without water because delivering meals took so long but also that the cart was in the aisle for an extra ordinary amount of time- which made getting up or bathroom trips almost impossible. I had to wait so long to use the lavatory I almost had an accident bc they were still doing service."
Cons: "The aircraft was cold. It felt like we where in a freezer."
Pros: "The plane and flight attendants were just great. The food was great as well."
Cons: "My grandmother had a terrible experience getting from check-in desk to the plane. We were made to feel she was an inconvenience due to her disability. She wasn't provided a wheel chair service in a timely manner, attitude when asking why service was so delayed, and it was not acceptable that she had to walk from the bus to the plane, having to walk up the platform to the plane door. I really think Virgin Australia should educate their employees on how to accommodate those who are less able bodied."
Pros: "The takeoff and landing a very noisy aircraft and old"
Cons: "No complimentary food on a long flight plus no entertainment screens"
Pros: "We know you want to make money. Have a heart and give us some more legroom. It’s cruel how you pack people in. It’s ridiculous. Luckily it’s a short flight, but, man, your greed is causing people pain."
Cons: "See above."
Cons: "Some confusion at LAX about who was operating the flight and where the check in for Virgin Australia was... 3rd time lucky. The rest was smooth"
Pros: "More leg room on this plane than any other economy plane I have been on"
Pros: "entertainment is good"
Cons: "surely the food can be better than half a muesli bar"
Pros: "Flight from Sydney to LA was fine, no issues. Issue on connection from LAX to JFK."
Cons: "We were delayed getting out of Sydney so late getting to LAX. Ran to get through customs, then airline rep said we might not make flight connection but to run...so we ran through two terminals, dropped baggage, ran through security to our gate...made it while flight still open...but...gate agent said Virgin had re-booked us already on flight 5 hours later and we no longer had seats on that flight. So two very serious questions that I have not yet gotten a satisfactory answer... 1) why were they allowed to re-book me without my consent? Every other situation, including changes to this itinerary in the past, I was told no changes could be made without my approval? 2) if they had already give away our confirmed seats, why in heavens did they tell us to run? At the airport I got a variety of answers that seemed to be pointing fingers since Sydney flight was Virgin Australia and LAX was Delta....despite codeshare seems these two companies do not work so seamlesslessly and one has no real idea what the other is doing....to the travelers detriment."
Pros: "Fast Check in & Boading using their self check in system."
Cons: "There were only two toilets at the rear of the plane as the front ones were reserved for Business Class. This caused constant queues from the rear of the plane making it difficult for those leaving the toilet as they worked their way back through the queue. This made it very uncomfortable for the passengers in aisle seats at the rear as people had to invade their space to get past each other, particularly when the food and drinks trolley came through. Entertainment was available only on your own device by planes wifi system. Unfortunately you needed to download an app before flying, so was not able to try this out. Virgin should of communicated this requirement prior to the flight."
Pros: "Flight was ok"
Cons: "The line to bag check was ridiculous and to the door in Sydney."
Pros: "Generally a good flight"
Cons: "Check in & Bag Drop Procedure is very poor. The process needs to be looked at"
Pros: "Nothing"
Cons: "Everything. They required us to get a visa even though it WASN'T NECESSARY AT ALL! Which cost us around 100 usd. I want it reimbursement immediately."
Pros: "Quick 1hr 20min flight from Syd to BNE. SYD"
Cons: "Everything was good"
Pros: "We got to queenstown a little bit sooner"
Cons: "They have crazy expensive fees for luggage if over weight..I will not choose them again"
Pros: "New plane."
Cons: "Really small plane. They placed my 6’8 husband in a regular row, when there were 2 bulk head and 1 exit row seat available. The “meal” = 3 half sandwiches - mayo & tuna (smelled through the cellophane wrapper) and a bottle of water. No entertainment. LOST MY LUGGAGE! Yuck. Avoid Jet Star."
Pros: "Cheap."
Cons: "No free checked bags. No free drinks - not even water. Limited weight for carryon bags. Choosing a seat costs extra money."
Pros: "The crew were amazing."
Cons: "The cost to check baggage was very high and hard to complete ahead of time."
Pros: "Was a smaller aircraft and a spacious flight"
Cons: "No complimentary food or snack or drinks!!"
Pros: "The views when approaching landing was spectacular!!"
Cons: "The queues were long, the meals were sandwiches"
Pros: "Less expensive flight"
Cons: "Charging for tea/coffee/water is over the top."
Pros: "the pilot greeted and said goodbye to everyone"
Cons: "they don't offer refreshments to everyone, you have to ask for them"
Pros: "Paid for 4 bags up to 75 kg Agent st checking asking for more fee had to fight for this"
Cons: "On flight no entertainment poor service Will never fly jet star again and won’t recon to anyone"
Cons: "Baggage policies were not clear. I thought you got one carry on and one checked bag up to 20 kg. But then when checking in online, it appeared you needed to pay for baggage based on weight. I tried to do it online, but wouldn't accept my payment. Got to airport, long line, tried to use kiosk to complete check in, wouldn't allow me to. Waited in line, only to be told I had a payment due and had to go to service desk. My friend was checking in with me, and did not have to pay for luggage. Meanwhile the gate agent changed her mind, said she could accept my payment there, then we had to go through the exercise of lightening our carry ons (which we had made heavier to avoid excess baggage fee). So I ended up paying for bags, friend did not, yet we had the same bags/weights. Flight was delayed 15 minutes per the kiosk, when asked gate agent, she said it was not, but in reality it was. not a pleasant experience, policies not clear and not uniformly enforced. Flight itself was ok. I probably will not fly Jetstar again."
Pros: "Great entertainment options and excellent service"
Cons: "I don’t like that you can’t pick your seats ahead of time without paying a fee."
Cons: "We were charged $225 nzd for our luggage at the airport which was much more than our plane tickets."
Pros: "nothing"
Cons: "i had to pay to take two bags at least other airlines allow one checked in luggage. also they do not provide meals you have to buy. and there is no onboard entertainment at all."
Cons: "Baggage and seating policy."
Pros: "Out Jetstar flight from Cairns arrived late and we had unacceptable assistance to make our connecting flight to Queenstown. Missed our flight. Rebooked ourselves for tomorrow. Cost us $1000."
Cons: "See above"
Pros: "Direct flight to Queenstown"
Cons: "This airline has cheap fares but beware of the extras. It took a while for me to figure out their baggage policy and fees. If you don't pay for baggage ahead of time it will cost a lot at the airport Also, no complementary beverage Everything costs extra on this airline even ana"
Cons: "Flight took off late. 7kg for a carry on is hard to do."
Pros: "No redeeming factors with awful customer service. I missed my connecting flight due to another flight being late. As a result, I called them to notify them I would not be able to make the flight and asked to switch flights. After explaining the situation, they refused to waive the flight change fee and even charged additional fees even though I had no control of the situation. They took advantage of the situation I was forced into and have no ethics. Absolute garbage."
Cons: "See above. A terrible airline who treats paying customers with disrespect and takes advantage of the situation. I will never fly with this airline again."
Pros: "This was the our first time flying with Jetstar a we were very pleased. The loading process was great quick and smooth. Its unbelievable to think that more airlines do not load back to front. The crew was extremely nice and cheerful and made the experience a great one for my wife and I."
Pros: "Awesome and thoughtful service. On time. Saved a bunch of money! And the in-flight snacks were a worthwhile treat. Definitely buy the bundle - seat, bags and voucher for food. Otherwise, the little charges can add up. Oh - and my daughter accidentally left a personal item on the plane, although we waited for a bit, they found it and brought it to us. So thoughtful."
Cons: "No complaints about the airline. But very crowded! Lots of people are enjoying this airline!"
Pros: "Nice and smooth flight."
Cons: "I wished the seats were bigger a bit"
Pros: "the staff and the boarding process"
Cons: "Unexpectedly being charged a large amount of money for the luggage."
Pros: "Friendly staff at the airport"
Cons: "Flight was delayed, but no explanation was given. All they wanted to do is sell items to drink and eat. Even water was not offered to other passengers. Staff onboard was not friendly."
Pros: "Smooth quick flight!"
Cons: "Wish we had known you don't even get a free cup of soda, water, or coffee.. But a short flight so was ok... No frills, cramped, but ok for a short trip! (husband is 6.1 feet and couldn't put knees together in front of him)"
Cons: "seat area was dirty we took off and arrived late, partially because of wind but we weren't kept informed about what was going on."
Pros: "Value"
Cons: "Baggage fees, but that is to be expected now"
Pros: "Nothing"
Cons: "The airline attitude. Aggressive and punitive, Absolutively not even sightly friendly. Much worst than RyanAir."
Pros: "It was a good value for the cost"
Cons: "You shouldn't have to pay for the very basic...water."
Pros: "Nothing"
Cons: "Just because we bought the luggage at the airport instead of online they charged us MORE THAN FOUR TIMES THE PRICE for our luggage. It ended up being more than the cost of two return flights combined!!!! Avoid Jetstar like the plague that they are."
Pros: "check in quik; flight early; decent price"
Cons: "very cramped; no frills"
Pros: "Not but that stood out that was good. The crew es nice."
Cons: "The seats are quite uncomfortable and everything including water is at an additional cost. The baggage is extra unless you are just taking the clothes on you back."
Pros: "Baggage fees are extremely high, about the price of an additional ticket. Kayak didn't do a great job at explaining how to secure multiple baggage pieces in advance. Kayak provided no information on meal/drink advance order/purchase options. This was my fort time flying this airline and I didn't know what to expect. We experienced a mechanical issue feat but the pilot was great at providing updates. We were later delayed due to another aircrafts gas spill on the tarmac. Again, great communication from the flight deck. We were able to make up the time. Baggage fees are extremely high, about the price of an additional ticket. Kayak didn't do a great job at explaining how to secure multiple baggage pieces in advance. Kayak provided no information on meal/drink advance order/purchase options. This was my fort time flying this airline and I didn't know what to expect. We experienced a mechanical issue feat but the pilot was great at providing updates. We were later delayed due to another aircrafts gas spill on the tarmac. Again, great communication from the flight deck. We were able to make up the time."
Cons: "I was very upset to have to pay over 200 for checked luggage. Kayak never gave me the option to add a bag when I booked this trip. That would've allowed me to save money. I was very upset"
Cons: "Worst flight ever, no leg room, no free glass of water even, and got raped on luggage charges, won't fly with them again."
Cons: "They look like they are offering a cheap price, but then charge you $160 NZ per bag. Only 7k allowed per carry on & they give no leeway. Don't even get complementary coffee or tea. No leg room seats are so crammed together. Take another airline you will save in the long run."
Cons: "Got charged 160 for a checked bag because I did not pre pay ahead of time online. What a scam! Horrible experience. Was held hostage at the airport. Shame on you Quantas."
Pros: "Nothing. JetStar used unethical business practices to force us to pay $160 dollars for our baggage. Usually baggage costs $13. They clearly have pulled this extortion trick on customers many times before. We were left to choose between abandoning all of our clothing and souvenirs and other possessions, or paying them an absurdly high fee. So we didn't really have much choice. F JetStar. I'll never fly with them again. If you're smart you won't either."
Pros: "Hidden fees, terrible online mobile platform, crazy pricing (they told me to book baggage early so it's cheaper--my friends booked theirs the night after I did and paid less than half of what I did), bizarre processss, and a delay resulting from some sort of snack issue. Seats were uncomfortable as well. Probably the most stressful flying experience I have ever had."
Cons: "Had to pay a surcharge for bags that was not clear at the time of booking, was supposed to be "per bag" but the airline did us a favor and only charged us for one bag. While that seems nice, it's clear it's a bogus charge if rules don't need to be followed. One flight the baggage fee was $50, another was $160 - with these costs included they are actually more expensive than other airlines. Took an international flight and all food and drinks on the flight had to be purchased, pretty ridiculous that the airline does not include water over a three hour travel time."
Pros: "nothing"
Cons: "we landed in christchurch instead and I had to drive 7 hours to queenstown overnight to make it for the next day. it was awful. no compensation."
Pros: "Crew was friendly."
Cons: "They charged $165 NZD (~$120 USD) for one checkin luggage."
Cons: "Flight 2 hours delayed, which was as long as the flight duration (2 hour flight from Auckland to Queenstown). Charged us $70 per bag at check-in...we were told that because we didn't pre-coordinate our bags online we were being charged extra. Kayak made no mention of this policy when purchasing tickets or in the itinerary provided. The airline worker at the counter said mentioned "yeah this happens to foreigners all the time"...which makes it pretty blatantly a targeting scheme on foreigners who have no choice but to pay the inflated bag fees."
Pros: "Friendly staff"
Cons: "I didn't like getting charged for seats, meals, baggage. Jetstar Nicole and dimes you after you purchase your ticket."
Pros: "Flight was delayed because of not enough crew"
Cons: "I had just bought a bottle of water (post security) to take on the flight, and they do not even allow unopened bottles of water. When I asked for some water when I got on the plane, all I got was about 4 oz of warm water and they would not give me any more either."
Pros: "nothing. it is a depressing airline"
Cons: "the rest"
Pros: "Checking in was a breeze. There wasn't any door or entertainment we tried to rate. crew was very good."
Cons: "Was surprised that we had to pay for water. Seats were a bit tighter than most airlines. My husband and my arms overlapped in the seats."
Pros: "stunning scenery of the southern alps... which had nothing to do with jetstar."
Cons: "where to begin... 1) $455 in baggage charges. yes, you read that right. 2 tickets cost $150. bags cost $450. absurd. enough said. we were connecting from an international flight, 2 adults and a toddler. it's not like we had an obscene amount of luggage. 2) so i tried to buy an extra seat (we were traveling with our 23-month old son)... buying an extra ticket and baggage allowance with it would have cost $100 less than the baggage charge with 2 tickets. But they would not allow this. 3) they would, however, block the seat next to us for free, so it would remain empty for my son. So we were not allowed to buy it, but they would keep it free for us. 4) we get on the plane, and the seat next to us is not blocked... someone else sits in it. if the plane is full, that makes perfect sense... but the plane wasn't full.. there were 20 empty seats. 5) so my son is unhappy because he wants his own seat, we're crammed into a full row... and there's a completely empty row behind us. So I ask the flight attendant if we can move. She says no, not until after take-off... first person to get there wins. Really? So, thank you but no thank you to jet star. at every opportunity they might have had to make our trip easier... they failed. miserably."
Cons: "The carry-on baggage limits are small (one bag maximum as opposed to most airlines that allow one bag and a personal item). The fee for checking a bag once at the airport is insane ($160 AUD). Will never fly Jetstar again. Easily worth the extra few dollars to fly Virgin or Air NZ."
Pros: "Easy check in, on time flight"
Cons: "Had to pay for snack or drink Had to pay to check bag, could carry-on roller bag"