Jetstar celebrates birthday with 50,000 bargain fares for Kiwis

Jetstar has added a new transtasman flight from Auckland. Photo / Grant Bradley

Jetstar is marking its 14th year of flying New Zealand domestic routes with fares as low as $29.

The airline is also offering fares from Wellington to the Gold Coast starting at $155.

The low-cost airline launched services within New Zealand on June 10, 2009.

Competition to Air New Zealand has helped keep a lid on airfares which, in the year to March, soared around 50 per cent, according to Stats NZ data.

Jetstar now operates six domestic and 10 transtasman routes, including its newest direct flights between Brisbane and Auckland, using its fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft.

It regularly runs a birthday sale, which it says is one of the biggest and most popular promotions of the year.

Jetstar’s head of New Zealand, Shelley Musk, said the airline remains committed to New Zealand.

“For the past 14 years we’ve been offering Kiwi customers great-value fares and choice so they can decide how they want to fly.

Travel dates vary per route but include late July this year to late March 2024.

Domestic deals include:

● Christchurch to Wellington from $29 (one-way)

● Auckland to Christchurch from $31

● Auckland to Wellington from $31

● Wellington to Queenstown from $35

● Auckland to Dunedin from $45

● Auckland to Queenstown from $45

International:

● Wellington to Gold Coast from $155

● Auckland to Brisbane from $165

● Auckland to Melbourne (Tullamarine) from $165

● Auckland to Gold Coast from $165

● Christchurch to Melbourne (Tullamarine) from $165

● Auckland to Rarotonga from $169

● Auckland to Sydney from $169

● Christchurch to Gold Coast from $175

● Queenstown to Gold Coast from $175

● Queenstown to Melbourne (Tullamarine) from $179

● Queenstown to Sydney from $199

“By keeping our starter fares low, customers can choose to add a meal, select a seat or bundle their bags — it’s all about choice.’'

The airline’s first day of domestic flights 14 years ago was hit by weather and equipment problems and it is again suffering on-time performance (OTP) problems in this country and in its Australian home base. It now requires passengers to check in earlier to help the punctuality of flights.

At a Qantas group investor day last week it was revealed on 62 per cent of flights departed within 15 minutes of the scheduled time.

Jetstar cited problems with auxiliary power units (APUs) as adding to delays across its network. An APU is a small engine in the tail of an aircraft to start up the main engines, operate air conditioning and power the cockpit and cabin.

Supply chain issues resulted in up to 12 aircraft operating with unserviceable APUs, creating significant delays. New units had now been sourced and existing units had a new maintenance regime, which was already improving OTP. The airline aims to have 70 per cent to 75 per cent of flights leaving on time in the second half of this calendar year.

The airline was described as having ‘’democratised air travel for 19 years’' and besides its Australasian operations flies in Japan and Southeast Asia.

Jetstar says it will sell 10 million fares for under AU$100 ($110) this calendar year.

The airline’s business model is to operate with low costs and maximum ancillary revenue. Before the pandemic, revenue from add-ons such as seat selection, paid baggage and food and drinks grew 38 per cent.

The airline aims for similar growth rates over the next five years as it adds more optional extras and technology to enable buying them easier. It is also getting bigger and more efficient A321 aircraft into its fleet.