Pacific Blue staff ambush Jetstar launch

The latest round in the battle of the low-cost airlines has commenced with a flourish, with arguments between rival PR agents and flight attendants on the streets of Christchurch.

Qantas' budget division Jetstar unveiled its new services in Cathedral Square yesterday, only to be subjected to a marketing ambush from Pacific Blue staffers handing out pamphlets promising to match its $39 Tasman airfares.

A Herald photographer reported that this prompted a Jetstar public relations spokeswoman to ask the Pacific Blue backers to leave, saying her company had got permission from the city council to be there. They kept handing out their pamphlets, but this time only on the outskirts of the Jetstar launch.

Pacific Blue is part of Virgin Blue, which is 25 per cent owned by Richard Branson's Virgin empire. The company is well known for its unconventional marketing and attention-grabbing tactics.

Jetstar will start flying between Christchurch and Australia from December 1. Qantas is scaling back its flights from the city, but says the overall number of seats on the route will increase.

Freedom Air, which operates as part of Air NZ in a similar way to Jetstar within the Qantas family, also acted to take the shine off Jetstar's launch yesterday, by announcing its new, bigger, business class seats on its new Airbus A320 planes. Each of these seats will cost $100 extra.

It is also matching the Jetstar and Pacific Blue special fares by offering $39 one-way internet-only fares from Christchurch to the Gold Coast.

All the $39 fares come with added taxes, surcharges and fees of between $64 and $81 depending on which Australian city a passenger flies to.

Freedom spokeswoman Rachel Gardiner said fares that low were not sustainable.