QANTAS: Never book Jetstar flights through the Qantas website. Here’s why . . .

I have often said about Jetstar, that by the time you include all the extras you want, like luggage, food, points earning and seat selection, its usually cheaper to travel on Qantas. I may have been wrong (difficult to believe, I know!).

You will pay more on Qantas website

Australian Frequent Flyer (AFF), has a great article on why you should never use the Qantas website to book Jetstar flights. Basically, you will always pay more on Qantas than if booking on Jetstar’s site.

If you must travel on Deathstar, then, go over to their website for a much better deal. You will probably find a fare with the same inclusions as listed on the Qantas website, for maybe a half of the price over on the Jetstar website.

Also, Make sure you are comparing apples with apples. Check the inclusions on both fares especially baggage, food and points/status credits.

The reason

I’m not going to re-write the research AFF has done here. Instead, I will refer you to the article. However, I am going to tell you why.

Qantas booking system

Qantas uses the Amadeus system to back-end its booking system. Amadeus is used by over 400 airlines around the world, including most of the OneWorld alliance.

Jetstar booking system

Jetstar on the other hand uses Navitaire, which is a more basic system. Naturally, the two systems don’t directly talk to each other. The only way they can communicate is via the Global Distribution System (GDS) which is used by airlines to communicate booking and ticketing information with the rest of the travel industry.

So Qantas, without a direct link into Jetstar’s booking system, uses the GDS, just like your travel agent to book the fares. This means that Qantas is not seeing everything Jetstar is offering on its direct booking site – like exclusive sale fares.

Any advantage booking with Qantas?

The only upside of booking with Qantas during this COVID-19 period is that you might be covered by Qantas’s more generous flight change provisions.

2PAXfly Takeout

This is another timely reminder to wear your seatbelt when seated. Holding you close to your seat will protect you from the sort of injuries sustained on this flight, when unsecured passengers flew to the ceiling of the aircraft, and then came crashing down once the ‘drop’ ceased.

The hope will be that this is an anomaly – a ‘freak accident’ in casual parlance. If it is a systemic error either mechanical or electronic, then this is a larger concern for the airlines that fly Boeing Dreamliner 787 aircraft. Let’s hope it isn’t. If it is, it will pile on the woes to Boeing’s existing stack.

It is worth regularly checking prices on the Jetstar website. The price differences with Qantas can be stunning especially if you book a long way out, or you belong to Club Jetstar.

Head over to AFF for the full story well researched and backed up by information from their members.

Oh, and remember that I was deeply scarred by a Jetstar flight experience about 10 years ago (my psyche has blocked the exact details, but it was probably about bad service and luggage restrictions), and I haven’t travelled with them since.

Maybe I should.