Safety card aboard a Jetstar Dash 8-300. Photo / Winston Aldworth
Katrina Johns flies aboard Jetstar's JQ351 from Auckland to Napier
Plane: De Havilland Dash 8-300
Class: There is only one class on such a small plane, so (knee-squeezing) Economy it was.
Seat: 6B — a window seat about half way down the plane, right next to the propellers, making for a rather noisy flight.
Luggage: 15kg checked plus 7kg hand luggage.
Check in experience: We were unfortunate our check-in time coincided with two large groups. This meant the check-in area was a little chaotic and would have benefitted from some extra staff directing people. My flight ticket wouldn't scan on the kiosk so I had to go to the service desk where the service was prompt and we were quickly checked in.
Dropping our bag was another story. After more than 40 minutes in the queues we were sorted and ready for a coffee.
Boarding: After a quick drink in the domestic terminal we headed to our gate. We were in one of the smaller gate lounges outside the main terminal. A 30-second walk had us in the departure lounge and meant we had no security checks to go through. We were then asked to board a bus for a short trip across the tarmac to our plane. The boarding process was quick and efficient and we were soon all on board.
On time: Our flight was due to depart at 8.35am. We were boarded by then but spent 25 minutes sitting on the tarmac, and a further 15 minutes slowly taxiing to our runway. We didn't get up in the air until 9.15, making us a good 40 minutes late. All of this was lovingly commentated by the young girl in front of me who reminded us on a constant loop that "we're still on the ground". The commentary was ended with a great big "yay, finally!!" when we lifted off — she spoke the words the entire plane was thinking.
Flight time: The flight was estimated to take an hour, but with our pilot trying to catch us up, we were up in the air for less than 45 minutes.
Verdict: Good value, if I didn't have to be there in a hurry.
When there's nothing as far as the eye can see, you may appreciate the company.