JETSTAR - "Free Seating"

[somj]

Stumbled across the following from the Jetstar Website http://www.jetstar.com.au/flyingWithUs/airport/

Is this the end of pre-assigned seating when flying Jetstar? Surely not!

Free Seating
Like most low cost carriers Jetstar has a free seating policy.

It does not mean that you will miss out on sitting with your family.

We will pre-board passengers with small children and customers requiring special assistance who have made arrangements through Jetstar call centre.

All other passengers will be given a boarding priority on their boarding pass, this will be based on the time that you checked in.

For example: Passengers with numbers 1-50 will board the aircraft first followed by numbers 51 – 100.

 

[QF WP]

You are spot on!!

Shouldn't surprise anybody who has travelled in the USA - it's the Southwest model coming to Australia.

So long as the FA's wear the same short shorts

 

[straitman]

You are spot on!!

Shouldn't surprise anybody who has travelled in the USA - it's the Southwest model coming to Australia.

So long as the FA's wear the same short shorts

I don't personally like this method, however it works really well. If you checkin late you get the worst possible seating by default :!:

 

[swissbignose]

I don't personally like this method, however it works really well. If you checkin late you get the worst possible seating by default :!:

Not necessarily.

Let's assume you're the last on the plane, and there are only middle seats left. If you pick the one that is in the middle of a couple travelling together, hey presto, you'll have a window or an aisle seat!

Unassigned seating goes both ways

 

[straitman]

Let's assume you're the last on the plane, and there are only middle seats left. If you pick the one that is in the middle of a couple travelling together, hey presto, you'll have a window or an aisle seat!

Not sure that I follow :?: Could you please clarify this :?:

 

[swissbignose]

My logic is that a couple travelling together may try to secure a set of three seats together so that they can sit together, but not run the risk of having someone squeeze in the aisle seat cramping their style. (Okay, this is the way I think...)

So... if you try and sit between them (in my example, there are only middle seats left), they'll see the error of their ways, and move over.

Sure, I'm making a lot of assumptions...

One of these assumptions is that your definition of "worst possible seating" is any seat past row 5, in which case, I'm not going to be able to solve your problem!

Clearer

 

[dajop]

As a WP, I prefer forward aisle. But on Jetstar, don't see a reason to get get to the airport an hour or so earlier, so I can get onto the aircraft first and get that forward seat. I'd be spending to an hour to save what 3-5 mins when disembarking...

 

[thadocta]

As a WP, I prefer forward aisle. But on Jetstar, don't see a reason to get get to the airport an hour or so earlier, so I can get onto the aircraft first and get that forward seat. I'd be spending to an hour to save what 3-5 mins when disembarking...

Spend that hour or two in the QP, just like we do when flying on QF!

Dave

 

[straitman]

As a WP, I prefer forward aisle. But on Jetstar, don't see a reason to get get to the airport an hour or so earlier, so I can get onto the aircraft first and get that forward seat. I'd be spending to an hour to save what 3-5 mins when disembarking...

Spend that hour or two in the QP, just like we do when flying on QF!

Dave

I agreeee :!: Whose shout is it anyway :?:

Hic.

 

[dajop]

Spend that hour or two in the QP, just like we do when flying on QF!

Dave

Depends on where you're flying from.... it's a long drive from the check in at AVV to the QP at MEL & then back to the boarding gates at AVV!!

 

[QF WP]

dajop, you shouldn't be driving anywhere after a visit to the QP - get a taxi (thadocta knows some good ones!). Still, a rather long drive from MEL to AVV, isn't it - time for another HP or three!

 

[Alan in CBR]

Non-assigned seating can be an advantage, but only in limited circumstances. In particular if the flight has lots of infrequent flyers. On a Ryanair flight (a brand new 737-800) a few years ago the first ones on board raced for the front seats. My wife and I then strolled past those fighting for the front and parked ourselves in the exit rows with tons of legroom!

I doubt this strategy would work very well in Australia. I think percentage-wise we tend to travel more than the average Brit, so are aware of the holy grail of the exit rows. Always worth a shot though.