Intro
I paid $24 for two meals on Jetstar in 2015. Ten years later, I was flying Jetstar International again from Melbourne to Singapore, and booked a Starter Plus fare.
It includes one hot meal and a complimentary hot drink. The value is entirely different now.
I asked to move to the empty exit row after takeoff, and the crew just said yes.
No EPOS machine, no “$50 extra” charge.
When I settled in with my laptop, I gave them a small box of chocolates as a gesture of thanks for being genuinely helpful, rather than trying to nickel and dime me.
That moment summed up what’s changed.
The Food
You pre-order what you want before you fly, instead of hoping for what’s available inflight.
I ordered the vegetarian teriyaki noodles as my included meal.
They arrived hot, with decent sauce, mushrooms, and capsicum that weren’t mushy, making for a decent meal on a budget airline.
For the second meal service, I pre-ordered the ham and cheese toastie for $13.
A $13 toastie with a free hot drink is excellent value. It’s a great toastie, it’s crisp, served piping hot and delicious.
They advertise standalone hot beverages at $5, making the free drink feel like a generous offer.
However, onboard, add a drink to your meal, and they charge $15, saving you $2 on the bundle.
The real cost to Jetstar? Probably cents. But that’s exactly how this works, layered pricing and perceived value.
And it works in your favour if you pre-order.
The same value logic applies across all pre-orders, the hot drink’s built in.
I also grabbed a lemon tea cake for $6 because I felt like something sweet. It was moist, had proper lemon flavour, and was delicious.
The Menu
Snacks are $5, including chips, chocolate, nuts, and Pringles.
Light meals are $12, including toasties, wraps, sandwiches, and pies. Instant noodles are $8, and soups are $5.
Hot drinks are $5 each: coffee, English breakfast tea, green tea, peppermint tea, spiced chai tea, and hot chocolate.
Soft drinks are the same price: Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Solo, lemonade, orange juice, apple juice, dry ginger ale, tonic water, and soda water.
Inflight Entertainment
I forgot to pre-order the entertainment bundle before I flew. Onboard, they wanted $15.
Pre-order would’ve been $10.
So I just worked on my laptop instead.
Free headphones are delivered by the crew, which is a nice touch.
But the irony isn’t lost, they hand you free headphones so you’ll want to use the IFE system.
The Crew
The cabin was full of mainly overseas based crew, which is how they keep the fares this low.
The aircraft is the same 787 I flew in 2015. Interior, layout, everything.
They’re refurbishing soon, so that might change things, but right now it’s the same cabin.
The crew were good, helpful, friendly, no attitude.
They also ran complimentary water rounds through the cabin, something I did not expect on Jetstar!
When I moved seats, the confusion started.
Their system ties every order to your original seat, so the crew knew exactly what I’d ordered but kept trying to deliver my meals to where I’d been sitting instead of where I was.
Keep this in mind if you’re moving seats on a Jetstar flight.
What I did miss, though, was the old presentation.
Back in 2015, even though the food was paid in addition to my fare, there was something about that full tray concept that felt like a traditional inflight service.
Conclusion
In 2015, I paid $24 for two meals on Jetstar.
Now with their tiered fares, you’re getting better value across the board.
The Starter Plus included my noodles plus a drink. I added the toastie for a small fee, which was reasonable.
You would be hard pressed to find these sorts of prices on other low cost airlines.
Most budget carriers are squeezing harder every year.
Jetstar’s moving in the other direction, offering no policing of carry-ons at the gate (on my particular flight), free exit row upgrades (maybe I was lucky!), and pre-order meal pricing that provides exceptional value.
Ten years ago, I would’ve warned people away. Now? If you’re flying Jetstar, this is where you’ll find the best value.