Review: Jetstar Asia Singapore to Bali, Economy (Airbus A320)


It is very not common for full-service carriers to partner with no-frills airlines. In the case of Jet Airways, Jetstar Asia is a codeshare partner. Knowing that the flying time was going be just under three hours long, I didn’t mind taking this Jetstar Singapore-Bali flight. I booked this flight as a part of my ticket on the Jet Airways website.

The scheduled departure time was 3:10 PM, but the departure board showed that the gate was open at 2:00 PM. I walked down to the gate only to find that people were just starting to come into the holding area. After getting my carry-on bag screened, I took a seat, waiting to get onto the plane. After waiting for 30 minutes, I was finally able to get onboard.

Jetstar Asia 3K245
Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 1 (SIN) – Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS)
Tuesday, August 14, 2018
Departure: 03:22 PM
Arrival: 06:00 PM
Duration: 2 Hours 38 Minutes
Aircraft: Airbus A320
Seat: 24C (Economy Class)
Meal Service: Hot Meal

And once I entered I wanted to get out real fast. This plane was way past its prime, and the dull grey upholstery was depressing. I wriggled my way to my assigned seat.

Jetstar singapore bali

This time around, I booked an aisle seat which was the right decision. The seat was tight with a 28” seat pitch. As these weren’t slimline seats, there was barely any legroom. I can’t even image how cramped this space would be for the 6ft+ Australian passenger who was sitting right next to me.

Jetstar singapore bali

We pushed back on time and were up in the air by 3:40 PM. Soon after, onboard food sales began. I had a complimentary hot meal as part of my ticket. I glanced through the menu and had picked my choice. But when the cart came by, I was served a vegetarian Jain meal which looked like something straight out of a college hostel mess. I tried switching the meal for anything else, even cold sandwiches, but the cabin crew politely refused, saying that the booking carrier pre-booked this option for me. Every other item on the menu looked better than my curry combo.

a tray of food on a tray

Jetstar Asia vegetarian Jain meal

I decided to skip the meal and purchased a cup of spicy ramen and a can of soda. There was neither any in-flight entertainment nor WiFi. So food was my only entertainment on this flight.

a menu of instant noodles

When in doubt, eat instant noodles

After a trip to the restroom, I settled down in my seat for a nap. I couldn’t get much sleep as there were regular in-flight announcements about onboard items available for sale. So, I did the next best thing and got all chatty. My co-passengers were from Estonia and Australia who were headed to Bali on a backpacking trip too. By the end of the flight, I had a couple of more things on my Bali wish list.

a man taking a selfie in a bathroom

A quick restroom selfie!

We landed in Bali at 6:00 p.m. and disembarked using the aerobridge. The terminal here is a bit small compared to other major international airports, which meant a lot less walking. A couple of minutes later, I was at passport control. Shortly after, I left the terminal to grab a taxi to my accommodation.

Bottomline

My experience with Jet Star Asia wasn’t the most pleasant one, even by no-frills airline standards. The service although was pretty good, with the cabin crew being ever so helpful and trying to make the flight less miserable. I guess that’s in the DNA of an airline which is owned by Qantas.

What has been your experience flying Jetstar Asia? Loved it or Hated it?

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Comments

  1. Hey I have a concern. I too am flying on the same route as you did JetA from India to Singapore, and then SIN-DPS on JetS. Did you need a Singapore VISA for transit?

    • Hey I also have this concern. I am also flying from Mumbai to Singapore with air India and Singapore to Bali via Jetstar. Did you require a transit visa on the trip?

  2. I once had a Emirates flight and a segment of it was with Jetstar as well but my experience was much better.

    I had free seat selection and got 1A with priority boarding and extra legroom, meal with drink, amenities pack and blanket which I was allowed to bring home since its a “purchase” item.

  3. You register a complaint with Jet Airways regarding the choice and quality of the food, as you had booked your ticket from there website and it was codeshare flight. At least they could have replaced your meal for a sandwich.

  4. “I decided to skip the meal and purchased a cup of spicy ramen and a can of soda.”
    “The portions were alright, but I was in no mood to eat it all at 2:15 in the morning. I took a few bites and passed along the meal.”
    Dude, you waste too much food. Please don’t waste food. Otherwise please don’t write about what you do with airline food.

    • Yes. Please try not to waste food. Maybe carry it (if possible) to eat later or give it to someone else. I do that regularly, especially, in India.

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