In the middle of last year there were a flurry of stories about Jetstar's cancellation rates and general unreliability. There were also numerous anecdotes on these and other forums about last-minute cancellations and rescheduling. There was also an implication that the cancellations were just an easy out of running low-profit flights, with no regard for the massive inconvenience and cost to customers.
Since then I haven't heard as many bad things, even around christmas. I don't know if people just aren't flying with Jetstar, or if maybe they've got their act together. "Airline is kind of ok now" doesn't make the headlines.
I'm planning a family trip SYD-HBA and Jetstar is almost half the price of the other two. I'm trying to gauge how much of a risk we'd be taking by booking with Jetstar. Flying with young children and visiting relatives, I don't want to risk major disruption/difficulty - but on the other hand how bad can a major carrier operating in Australia still be?
Please vote below based on your own experience - or that of friends / family / coworkers whose experiences you have a full picture of.
I guess it’d depend if you’re flying when it’s really busy, ie School Holidays. If so, likely delays and cancellations, other “off peak” times, less likely.