Jetstar Asia will operate a progressively reduced schedule until its last day of operations on July 31. - ST
SINGAPORE: Jetstar Asia will cease operations from July 31 as part of its “strategic restructure”, said its parent company Qantas Group on June 11.
Here’s a look at what would-be passengers should know as the airline flies a progressively reduced schedule until its last day of operations on July 31.
Q: Which flights are affected?
Sixteen intra-Asia routes will be impacted by the closure of Jetstar Asia, said Qantas.
Flights between Asian countries currently operated by Jetstar include:
Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, Penang
Singapore to Jakarta, Bali, Medan and Surabaya
Singapore to Bangkok, Krabi and Phuket
Singapore to Manila
Singapore to Wuxi
Singapore to Okinawa
Singapore to Colombo
All of Jetstar Airways’ flights in and out of Australia with JQ flight codes remain unchanged, as will Jetstar Japan flights in Asia with GK codes.
Q: I have a booking after July 31. What will happen to my flight tickets?
All customers who have booked flights for travel after Jetstar Asia’s closure on July 31 will be contacted directly with an option for a full cash refund.
Customers with connections to or from Australia, or travelling between Singapore and Bali, Manila and Osaka, may be offered an alternative Qantas Group flight.
Q: I have a booking before July 31. Will I be affected?
As Jetstar Asia will continue to operate a reduced schedule until its closure, some changes to existing flight bookings are expected.
Customers will be notified of any changes, while the latest information can be retrieved from Jetstar Asia’s travel alerts page.
Status updates for flights over the next two days can be found here.
Jetstar Asia said customers who no longer wish to fly with the airline in the lead-up to its closure will have “increased flexibility”, without offering further details.
Q: I’m booked to travel on a partner airline, what should I do?
Jetstar will notify impacted customers about changes to Jetstar Asia flights, and also passengers on any connecting flights with its partner airlines. Affected passengers will be contacted about alternative arrangements.
Apart from Qantas, the Sydney-headquartered Jetstar Airways and Jetstar Japan, the closing Jetstar Asia has codeshare partnerships with airlines such as Emirates, Finnair and Japan Airlines.
Q: Will my Jetstar vouchers still be usable?
Those with vouchers still valid after June 11, 2025, will be contacted in August to convert the vouchers into monetary refunds.
Q: Why is Jetstar Asia shutting down?
The airline’s shareholders decided to cease operations after an internal review found it was unsustainable to provide the low fares associated with the Singapore-based budget airline.
Jetstar Asia has faced increasing competition in the region and a rise in supplier costs and airport fees over recent years, said Jetstar Group chief executive Stephanie Tully.
Jetstar Asia is expected to post an underlying loss of A$35 million (S$29.3 million) in earnings before interest and tax for the current financial year.
The shutdown will affect more than 500 Jetstar Asia employees based in Singapore. - The Straits Times/ANN
