At the end of November 2024, my mom, who, by the way, took this flight due to my school classes, flew on Jetstar to Tokyo, the capital of Japan. Will this live up to her expectations? Read further to know more. Let's hop on the plane to a vibrant autumn adventure ahead!
Jetstar is a multinational low-cost carrier based in Australia, with subsidiaries in Singapore (3K) and Japan (GK). It predominantly operates a fleet of Airbus A320 family aircraft. Jetstar Japan, its Tokyo-based subsidiary, is the main focus of this blog.
Notes:
- This is a personal blog on our travel experience and is neither promoted nor endorsed by Jetstar.
- The author of this blog did not board this flight. Rather, my mom represented me due to my school classes.
- Exchange rates between currencies are as of December 2024: 1 Philippine peso = 0.0172 USD and 2.58 JPY.
Booking process
Planning for my mom's short autumn trip to Japan involved two airlines: Jetstar, and Cebu Pacific, in which the former was used for the departing flight and the former for the return flight. Booked two months in advance, the Jetstar flight cost $100 (5,818 pesos, 2,327 JPY) with an add-on of two carry-on baggage that was, however, erroneously purchased.
My mom did not book on Jetstar's website, but on the AirAsia MOVE app, of which she's a member in the application. She also did this on her Jeju Air flight from Seoul to Manila in September (read here). The app does offer options on non-AirAsia flights, since a flight leaving at past midnight was the most feasible option to start a 3-day international itinerary. No other low-cost carrier offers a spot this early; the other early morning low-cost flight between Manila and Tokyo departs at past four o'clock (AirAsia; Z2 191).
For the purpose of frequent flyers on the Jetstar Group, the Starter fare comes with 7 kilograms of carry-on baggage allowance; you can purchase an additional 7 kg if you need two carry-on bags. This makes Jetstar slightly past Cebu Pacific, which only allows one carry-on baggage. Additionally, you have the option to purchase up to 40 kg checked baggage. For more information, visit this link.
Travel requirements
Aside from your passport and travel itinerary, you would also need to fulfill the following requirements to Japan:
Philippines
- eTravel - used for departing Filipino citizens and ALL arriving international passengers. Mobile users can download the eGovPH app, while you can visit the sign-in portal here. For Filipinos, this should be filled up TWICE: for your departing flight and for your arriving flight. You can fill this up within 72 hours from the dates of your flights.
- Travel Tax - as explained earlier, economy class passengers should pay this levy of 1,620 pesos either online (for Philippine-based airlines) or at TIEZA counters at airports.
Japan
- Valid Travel Visa - for the purpose of my Philippine viewers, a visa is required to enter Japan. Visit this site for more details.
- Visit Japan Web - acts like an online arrival card. Arriving tourists are required to create an account in this portal and accomplish the immigration and customs forms before arriving in Japan. You can fill up the arrival form here.
Main review: Saturday, November 30, 2024
My mom arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport before 22:00 the previous evening. After paying the travel tax of 1,620 pesos per passenger. Lines to the check-in counters were very long; it took almost an HOUR to finish this process.
Jetstar operates its Manila flights at Terminal 3; it previously operated its flights at Terminal 1 until 2023.
Jetstar operates one daily flight between Manila and Tokyo's Narita International Airport. It first launched this service in March 2016. In addition, it operates flights between Manila and Nagoya. Both are operated by Jetstar Japan.
Flight information
Route map
The aircraft used for this flight is a 2013-built Airbus A320-232, registered JA08JJ. This aircraft arrived as flight GK 41 from Narita at 23:55 the previous night. Jetstar Japan operates an exclusive fleet of Airbus A320 planes powered by two IAE V2500 turbofan engines.
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| Our Jetstar plane waiting for its next passengers at Gate 113 of Terminal 3. |
Boarding started at 00:10 at Gate 113. The boarding process was smooth and orderly enough.
After a moderate delay, pushback commenced at 01:29. I noticed that flights to Runway 06/24 (the main runway) have longer taxi times than that of Runway 13/31 (the secondary runway), which is directly in front of Terminal 3. On average, planes taxi for around 23 minutes (or more with congestion of planes) to Runway 06/24 from Terminals 1, 2, or 3. The plane took off at 01:48, two minutes to an hour behind schedule, and nineteen minutes after pushback.
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| Magazines, safety card, etc. on the top-seat-mounted pocket. |
Seated at 8A for this red-eye flight. Jetstar’s seats are 18 inches wide and have a pitch of 28 to 29 inches. There are no bottom seat pockets, where the safety card and the magazines would be usually placed, but a compact pocket on top of the seat. This, in turn, results in greater legroom.
As the plane flew above the cities of Makati, Taguig, and Quezon City and into the dark sky, it ascended to its cruising altitude of 33,000 feet by the time it flew west of the province of Cagayan Valley and the Sierra Madre mountain range.
Less than half an hour into the flight, my mom ordered an almond snack and a bottled orange drink. For 500 Japanese yen (20 pesos, $0.3), you can buy a "snack combo": just choose one snack and one drink. Although they do sell hot meals on board, my mom opted for a light snack.
The rest of the flight went uneventful, and my mom took a short nap.
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| The plane flying above the Pacific Ocean as the sun rose prior to the plane's descent. |
Nearly four hours later, the plane started its descent to Narita International Airport in Japan. The sun began to rise as the plane descended. The flight landed at 06:23, 18 minutes behind schedule. My mom went to Tokyo at the time of filming to experience the vibrant autumn season first-hand.
Narita has three terminals. Jetstar operates its flights out of Terminal 3. She disembarked at a remote gate before a short bus ride to the terminal. T3 is designed for low-cost carriers; as such, there are no jet bridges, and the design is simpler than the two other terminals. It is located 500 meters north of Terminal 2.
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| Shuttle bus terminal at Narita's T3. |
After clearing immigration and customs, she rode a free shuttle bus to Terminal 2 before riding the Skyliner limited express train to central Tokyo, and onward transport to her hotel in Asakusa.
She then spent the next two days in Tokyo, touring to the best Mount Fuji picture spots as well as some attractions in Yokohama, a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, accessible by train.
Verdict
Timing and frequency
Jetstar flies once daily to Tokyo from Manila and back. Flight GK 40 is actually the return flight of GK 41, which departs in the evening and arrives before midnight in Manila. Jetstar's flights are good for those who want to start early and maximize your days in Japan. My mom would choose a midnight or pre-dawn flight to maximize her short three-day autumn stay in Tokyo, then choose an evening flight back. Although Jetstar does offer a return flight leaving before 20:00, she chose Cebu Pacific instead.
Overall service
Overall, Jetstar offers you a decent low-cost service that you can afford to enjoy. This speaks in the context of its Japanese subsidiary, but I'll try to fly with its Singapore subsidiary soon. However, as an aviation geek more than a usual traveler, I feel dismayed when my airline of choice prohibits free photography and videography (like what Jetstar does, as part of the Qantas Group, which implements the policy).
Positive indicators
- Clean aircraft
- Comfortable seats
- Friendly and nice-looking flight attendants
- Delicious light snacks and good food choices
Points for improvement
- The magazine is predominantly with Japanese characters. Jetstar should have included English texts to better cater to foreign passengers like us. It would be hard to translate this (using Google Translate) while inflight because there is no Wi-Fi connectivity offered by Jetstar. The menu, however, is not like this.
- Jetstar should minimize delays in its flights to ensure sustained customer satisfaction.
- (Although not the airline's responsibility) The New NAIA Infrastructure Corporation should install self-check-in and self-bag drop areas to alleviate long lines. Although Cebu Pacific has this for some of its domestic flights, it has not been implemented system-wide for all airlines (especially low-cost carriers).
Ratings
I rate each aspect of the flight in a scale of 1 to 10.
- Check-in - 7.5/10
- Punctuality - 8.2/10
- Seat - 9.6/10
- Light snacks - 9.7/10
- Crew - 9.6/10
- Price - 9.8/10
Watch my trip report on YouTube:
The return leg of this vacation is with Cebu Pacific.
See also my other Japan blogs:
For more updates, visit my blog site and subscribe to my YouTube channel, Enzo's Travel Journals!
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