I’ve written here before about Jetstar Airways, a discount carrier that flies between manila and Singapore … and from Singapore all over Asia. I’m signed up for Jetstar’s email offer service and I just got a notice about them expanding service between Melbourne Australasia and Singapore (via Darwin). Just for fun I ran an availability check for a round trip in May and June 2008 … total fares come up to less the AUD 350 dollars, all-in (except for a few mote dollars Philippine airport fees, I think).
This is the kind of airline who charges for all services … a can of soda or even a checked bag (the price I worked up was a carry-on only fare) … but that’s ok if you are looking for cheap fares. This is a flight of no small distance .. nearly 4,000 miles, and in terms of what one has to pay in North America, dirt cheap.
So all you Australian readers who have been out there ‘sitting on the fence’ about a trip to the Philippines? Book now and make yourself happy!
Popularity: 14% [?]
Just don’t be late for your flight!
http://www.smh.com.au/news/travel/jetstar-warned-over-trading-practices/2007/11/20/1195321820533.html
Thanks for the tip, Laurence. I should have mentioned also in my article about Cebu Pacific that they have a note to customers that says gates close 30 minutes prior to departure and late arrivals won’t be accepted. I don’t know how strict they are on this, but it seems like it has now become a factor for all airlines.
I fairness on my recent outbound leg to Davao fromManila, Cebu held the plane for a young mother with babe in arms and her aged mother who had somehow done something wrong at the security checkpoint and had to go back … typical combination of Filipino kindness and disorganization combined … gotta love it.
More news on Jetstar:
http://www.theage.com.au/news/news/jetstar-pacific-ready-for-takeoff/2008/04/14/1208025046776.html
Hello Laurence, Thanks again for being on top of the news. I just got up from my afternoon siesta and was reading that article before I opened this site and checked for comments. Not early fast enough to beat you to the news, that’s for sure *smile*
So you read the “Age” website ?
Nope, not familiar with the “Age” at all …I saw the same article elswhere. I see that now my US airlines listing/comments are going to have to be significnatly updated also, NorthWest and Delta have made their marriage official … pretty soon the US will have only one airline, probably run by some company Dick Cheney owns and George Bush supplies the fuel for … fly now folks, that’s my advice, in a few years flying back and for across the Pacific for a thousand buck sor so is going to be a distant fond memory.
You can fly Virgin from US to Australia and then take your pick of budget Asian/Pacific carriers.
Someday soon I wnat to go to Australia … but if you look on a map, flying to Australia from the US and then backtracking to Asian countries is a bit out of the way. But of course if you want one of those “If it’s Tuesday this must be Belgium” kind of vacation that’s certainly a possibility … except I just spent some time on their web site and they won’t book people from US to Sydney. They will book from US west coast to Hong Kong … via _London_!! … bit of a long way ’round there IMO.
I notice Virgin partner/code shares with Continental (the only other US flag carrier aisde from NWA who flies their own planes to the Philippines … likely they give that segment of the business to Continental.
Philly,
When “V” starts up you can fly LA to Sydney direct.
http://www.livenews.com.au/Articles/2008/04/02/Richard_Branson_promises_A400_SydneyLA_flights
Thanks for the link, Laurence, I thought that what Virgin had today was what they had … expansion in the Pacific market can only help the traveler .. especially now that Northwest and Delta, who both fly a lot to Tokyo and China, and will thus, no doubt, consolidate schedules to raise prices will hurt. I’ll certainly be interested in trying Virgin in the future.