We are slow to catch on to consumer trends in this country, so when people rushed to book the really cheap seats on our new no frills airline, Jetstar, they did so without really understanding what they were buying. So when the first passengers checked-in on Tuesday they had to be at the terminal no later than one-hour before departure, then there was the reduced baggage limits, first-in-first-served seating and luke-warm coffee that you had to pay for on board. Not to mention the single leg only flights so that you had to check-in again to board your connecting flight. In the end many passengers were reportedly left a bit confused and dismayed at the overall experience. Even though we have had Virgin Blue proclaiming to be 'no-frills', it seems to offer a better experience than that offered by Jetstar thus far.
It just goes to show that whilst we might take to the 'no-frills' fares, it'll take a while for us to catch on to a real 'no-frills' service experience, like that which has been around for a while now in Europe (think Ryan Air) and the US (eg Southwest)
In the end both Virgin Blue and Jetstar offer old style no-frills: bare-bones service, garish design, unassuming food for which passengers have to pay, and on-board entertainment that mainly consists of crew members telling knock-knock jokes. But even a one-hour trip from Melbourne to Sydney isn't a 'service' that requires no experience at all, even if it is available at very little cost.
So it will be interesting to see how this one plays out as Jetstar and Virgin Blue fight each other to try and create the better no-frills experience.
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