Flight Check: Jetstar from Christchurch to Auckland

Mt Taranaki, as seen from the window of a Jetstar A320, from Christchurch to Auckland. Photo / Stephanie Holmes

The plane: A320.

Class: Egalitarian.

Our seats: 3A and 3B. I was a very generous girlfriend and took the middle seat, letting my boyfriend get the window.

Price: From $49 one way.

Airport experience: Christchurch Airport is functional and easy to manoeuvre. It always feels like there's plenty of space in the check-in area and things move quickly. We had checked in online the day before, so printer bag tags at the self-serve kiosk then moved to the bag drop. The ground crew member reprinted boarding passes for us, as we had been moved from an aisle and middle seat, to middle and window. He also informed us things were running a little late. This message didn't get translated through to the automated text message system however - I got a text at around 1.15 telling me the gate was open and boarding was about to begin and would close at 1.40pm on the dot. We went through security to discover no open gate and a long queue of people waiting around. Very few seats at Gate 21. Boarding began at 1.50.

On time: The plane pushed back at 2.15, 25 minutes after our scheduled departure time due to its late arrival into Christchurch.

Flight time: 1h 12m.

How full: To the gills.

Fellow passengers: The mystery of our change in seats was revealed as we boarded - the guy sharing our row was in a moon boot and was struggling to bend his left leg. He would have had no chance being squished into the window seat. As it was, he had to keep stretching out into the aisle … and stretch back in again every time someone tried to pass him. The rest of the cabin was made up of the usual domestic hop mix - Kiwi families and international travellers.

Service: Excellent - the crew were attentive and friendly, and were checking regularly on Mr Moon Boot.

Food and drink: Our ticket included a meal which, on such a short flight, was just a triple-decker sandwich (double egg and lettuce; cheese and tomato), and a selection of teas. As a non-caffeine drinker, I was pleased there was a variety of herbal teas on offer, as well as well as standard black and green options.

Toilets: I couldn't bring myself to make Mr Moon Boot stand up and manoeuvre himself into the aisle, so I didn't go.

Entertainment: A really good in-flight magazine, but nothing else. Even the safety demonstration is done IRL by the cabin crew (which is actually much preferable to a video, in my opinion). We had an incredible view of the perfect cone of Mt Taranaki, still snow-capped in the height of summer.

Would I fly again? Absolutely. Jetstar offers a well-priced service that allows Kiwis to easily get around the country's major centres.

jetstar.co.nz