Airlines have been getting a bad rap lately. Unless you have been living under a rock, you will have heard all about United’s woes. First we had teenage girls denied boarding in what I have dubbed ‘leggingsgate’ and the latest scandal where a paying customer was forcible removed from an overbooked flight drew worldwide condemnation. Low Cost Carriers (LCC’s) get a bad rap at the best of times and Jetstar has had it’s own fair share of PR mishaps, like when they refused an arthritic child the use of a pillow on the way home from Bali. Or when they denied this family boarding in Hamilton Island. Or when they ejected two families returning to Adelaide for refusing to take their assigned seats. Slamming Jetstar is almost a national sport in Australia. Some genius even set up a website dedicated to gathering whinges from aggrieved passengers. So are Jetstar really that bad? In my experience, no. I’ve flown them countless times and while I have certainly experienced a few niggles, the bottom line is that the cost keeps drawing me back. On our Tasmanian road trip we took advantage of one of Jetstar’s free return flight specials and we lived to tell the tale. If you have never flown Jetstar and are wondering what to expect, read on for all the details …
