Jetstar passengers will need to arrive at the airport earlier after the airline tightened check-in and bag-drop times in a bid to improve its reliability and punctuality.
From next Tuesday, the budget carrier will close check-in for domestic flights within Australia and New Zealand 40 minutes prior to departure, bumping it up from 30 minutes.
The carrier will also cut the check-in time allowed for international flights by 15 minutes, requiring passengers to complete check-in and bag drop-off 60 minutes before departure.
The boarding gate for international and domestic flights will close 20 minutes before the flight departs, up from 15 minutes.
Jetstar’s chief operating officer, Matt Franzi, said the airline was working to strengthen its operations while delivering low-fare flights.
“We know our performance hasn’t been up to scratch and we are working hard to boost punctuality and reliability,” he said.
It comes after the Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics released figures in April finding Jetstar was the least punctual airline in Australia, with 7.1% of flights cancelled.
Last year, about 4,000 Jetstar passengers were left stranded in Bali for up to a week after mass flight cancellations.
The carrier said the new check-in times bring it in line with other budget airlines.
Bonza, Australia’s newest budget airline which launched earlier this year, also closes check-in and bag drop-off for domestic flights 40 minutes prior to departure. However, the boarding gate closes 10 minutes before departure, giving its passengers 10 minutes longer than Jetstar customers to get to the gate.
Jetstar’s new rules are on par with Ryanair, an Irish budget carrier that operates across the UK and Europe. Ryanair shuts check-ins 40 minutes before flights depart, and closes boarding 20 minutes before departure.
Alan Kirkland, the chief executive of Choice, said it was good to see Jetstar working to address its problems with flight reliability.
But he urged the airline to be flexible about the changes initially, and to give its customers ongoing warnings of the new rules.
“Customers are used to the check-in times that have stood for many years and it would be really unfair if someone was denied boarding soon after these changes and ended up having to book a new flight due to changes Jetstar made,” he said.
Jetstar said it would also be hiring more airport staff, cabin crew and engineers to increase its reliability.
“Everyone across the airline is committed to getting Jetstar to its best while delivering the lowest possible fares so our customers can fly to more places, more often.”
