I am almost two metres tall, so flying can sometimes be a bit of a struggle. I am often picky about what airlines I choose to travel on especially low cost carriers like Jetstar . Exit rows, seat maps and frequent flyer upgrades are my top travel companions.

However, on a recent last-minute trip across Australia, Jetstar popped up on my radar. The price of their most expensive ticket was significantly cheaper than Qantas or Virgin Australia.

This led me to wonder: Is it possible to fly Jetstar and be comfortable in 2024?

With a standard seat pitch of 73.7cm (29 inch) and a width of just 45.7cm (18 inch) , a standard seat is too daunting of a prospect. But when I spotted the aircraft type being flown was the A321NEO, its seat map revealed several opportunities to travel in comfort.

Pre-flight Seat Selection and Booking:
I hadn’t flown Jetstar for over a decade and had no real expectations of how the booking process worked. However, I found the website booking straight forward.

The most important aspect is getting your head around the fare classes, and what the various inclusions are. Extra legroom seating was my top priority, followed by some flexibility (as the trip was not 100% guaranteed at time of booking).

There are four fare types. Starter and Starter Plus weren’t flexible enough, so I looked at Flex and Flex Plus. I opted for the latter, as in addition to being changeable, it provided ultimate seating flexibility for a very modest price difference.

Flex Plus fares offer a serve of Qantas Frequent Flyer points and status credits. Be aware that the number of status credits for Jetstar’s top fare bucket on this route is just 20, rather than 40 previously provided on the (now discontinued) Max Plus bundle.

Upon booking, I was able to select my seat free of charge. This was a simple process with the seat map showing up clearly on both the web version and the mobile version of jetstar.com
I selected seat 29A. On the A321NEO this is a window seat. The seat appeared to have ample legroom, and is sold as an exit row seat, given its position near the door just behind the wing.

The Lounge:
While lounge access might not be the first thing that comes to mind when booking Jetstar, it is sometimes a possibility. Qantas Frequent Flyer members with gold status or above, as well as Qantas Club members, can access the Qantas lounges when flying on Jetstar.

On Board
With my seat situated behind the wing, I was directed to board via the aft airstairs. I received an unenergetic welcome from the flight attendant at the door, who seemed to be juggling boarding responsibilities and galley prep.

Unlike the over-wing exits that are a plug-style door with a window in the middle, the exit at row 29 is a large door of a similar style used for boarding. I’ve sat in seats like this before. They are common on the A330s that ply domestic routes for Qantas, as well as pretty much every other widebody.

However, on the Jetstar A321NEO, the seating is very close to the door. So close, in fact, that there is no way to see out of the window. This surprised me, as it makes row 29 effectively a windowless row.

As I made my way to my seat, I was pleased to see a huge amount of legroom. In fact, this seat offers some of the most generous economy legroom in Australian skies, especially for a narrowbody aircraft. This is made possible because the row in front only consists of 4 seats, rather than the standard 6, leaving a gap in front of both 29A and 29F.

Jetstar’s A321NEO offers USB-A charging on seatbacks, however the exit rows did not have a USB port that I, or my neighbours, could find. Additionally, the seatbacks provide storage, and a device holder – missing from the exit row – though there is a small pouch attached to the door for some storage, and a fold up phone holder on the tray table.

All seats come with a reading light and an individually controlled air vent. Jetstar offers an inflight entertainment streaming service onboard this aircraft known as Jetstar Entertainment +, however on this flight it was not working.

With all passengers onboard, we sat on the ground until 16:39 due to a technical issue. The Captain kept us informed of the issue, and noted that our expected flight time should make up some lost time.

Inflight:
While the legroom was excellent, with the entertainment system broken and no window, there was relatively little to do on board, so I opted to get some work done. The tray table at row 29 folds out from the immovable armrest and was flat, albeit bouncy when typing.

The real star on this flight was flight attendant Alan. Located at the crew seating area by seat 29F, he looked after the passengers in my area fantastically.

From the moment I arrived at my seat, Alan made personalised conversation, in a friendly and engaging manner. He was upbeat, willing to help, and equally as friendly with the other passengers in the area.

Meals and snacks were served shortly after take-off. On Jetstar this is a buy-on-board affair. My bundled ticket came with $15 to spend onboard, which was just enough to cover a beer and a box of Pringles.

Two bathrooms can be found at the back of the aircraft, and one at the front.

There is a wonderful quote by Charles Dickens, who likens the size of his cabin on board the steamship Britannia (1840) to a coffin. That quote came to mind when I entered the bathroom. It is tiny! While I could manage to move around, it was certainly not a comfortable experience.

The portside aft bathroom I visited had a baby change table, though how anyone would manage to enter the space with a baby and change bag, given the space available, is beyond me. While clean during my first visit, the bathroom got dirtier and dirtier during the flight, with used hand towels piled up on the shelf due to the overflowed bin by the time we were crossing over the South Australian coast.

The flight was turbulent in patches, with the seatbelt sign kept on for quite some time after take-off. However, the Captain kept us informed of this, which was appreciated. Given the delay, the aircraft landed 33 minutes late arriving in Sydney at 22:18.

Final Thoughts:
As a tall person, the legroom situation on Jetstar has always been a barrier for me. However, the spaciousness of row 29 on the A321NEO has challenged my perceptions.

There was plenty of space at my seat 29A, while the standard exit row seats (and front row) also offered ample legroom. I flew back to Perth on the front row of the Jetstar A320, and while it was fine, the spaciousness of the A321NEO’s seat 29A was far superior.

Service from Alan was fantastic – he was a real stand out – though some of the cabin crew that I interacted with seemed tired and uninterested, perhaps given the fact they had just operated the flight across from Sydney.

The lack of inflight entertainment was a shame, however many people had brought their own downloads, worked or slept, to pass the time.

I would happily fly Jetstar’s A321NEO again, as long as I can get the exit row!

EXTRA INFORMATION

Flight: JQ987
Route: PER-SYD
Date: 12/07/24
Cabin: Economy
Seat: 29A
Aircraft: A321-NEO(LR), VH-OFQ
Ticket Class: Flex Plus
Traveller Status: Qantas Platinum

Chris Frame is a maritime historian and travel writer, and travelled on a self-funded paid seat booked via jetstar.com

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