As I was boarding my flight from Nagoya, a friend tweeted me asking me what it’s like to fly with Jetstar Japan. She told me that she'd considered booking a flight with the airline but didn’t, since she knew little about it. I then decided to write about my Manila-Nagoya flight with the only Japanese low-cost carrier that flies between Manila and Osaka, Nagoya, and Tokyo. Read more…
Photo credit: Jetstar Airways
BEFORE FLIGHT
I arrived at NAIA Terminal 1 a little more than hour before my flight—like I always do because I don’t typically check-in early. As luck may have it, the lines at the Jetstar Japan counters, which open three hours before departure, were already short.
A young, friendly agent weighed my luggage and my cabin bag (they are strict about the weight of hand-carried baggage) then handed me my boarding pass. Since I was connecting in Nagoya to Sapporo, I requested to be placed on a seat near the door, and he did.
It was close to midnight, so NAIA Terminal 1 was practically empty. I breezed through immigration and security then walked briefly to my gate. Jetstar Japan takes security seriously, as there was a manual second inspection of our hand-carried baggage.
The boarding call came soon after I was done with my inspection, and the process was orderly—we were boarded by rows.
DURING FLIGHT
As soon I got settled onto my seat, I examined the plane’s cabin. The aircraft does seem like the ones I’ve taken before with Jetstar Japan’s Singapore-based sister Jetstar Asia. By that I mean that the seats are configured the same (six abreast in a 3-3 configuration with 30 rows for a total of 180 seats) and that all seats are fitted with handsome black leather.
The seat pitch, which in aviation parlance refers to the distance between a seat and the seat in front, is the standard 29” for regular seats—although I’ve seated on the front row and by the emergency exit with Jetstar Japan, and seats in those rows offer more legroom. Anyway, the seat was roomy enough for me and my long legs to get comfortable.
As soon as everybody was onboard and settled, the Customer Service Manager (what they call their senior cabin crew) went on the PA and welcomed passengers. Announcements were done in both Japanese and English; however, the safety demo was done only in Japanese.
After we took off, the cabin crew who were so polite and friendly started to serve meals booked online. I was booked the Chicken Katsu Curry, which I genuinely liked, and I had it with a nice cup of hot green tea.
For those who chose not to preorder a hot meal, the airline serves a selection of snacks and beverages at reasonable prices.
Because it was a red-eye flight, the crew dimmed the lights after their service. I had a good rest until we reached Nagoya the next morning, 10 minutes ahead of schedule. At that point, the still-smiling crew bid us goodbye, and we were briefly shuttled by bus to the terminal.
AFTER FLIGHT
By the time I was done clearing immigration, my baggage was already waiting at the carousel, proving that their baggage handling is efficient.
Jetstar Japan flies up to 7x weekly from Manila to Tokyo-Narita and Nagoya, and it flies up to 4x weekly from Manila to Osaka to complement Jetstar Asia’s 4x weekly service. The lowest fares to Japan may be booked at jetstar.com. Follow Jetstar Asia on Facebook and Twitter for promos and updates.
