Jetstar’s eighth Boeing 787 Dreamliner has successfully joined its fleet, with the airline flying its first 787 operated service from Sydney to Honolulu tonight.
Jetstar Group CEO Jayne Hrdlicka said the airline’s newest 787 would deliver around 20,000 extra seats each year on the Sydney-Honolulu route.
“Hawaii is one of the most popular destinations on our network and we’re delighted to offer our Sydney customers a new level of comfort with the introduction of the first 787 service on the route,” Hrdlicka said.
“We’ve had great feedback on the bright spacious feel in the cabin and the gate-to-gate seat back in-flight entertainment has been a hit with our customers.”
Jetstar is two-thirds of the way through its transition to an all 787 long haul fleet and has now operated more than 4000 passenger services with the aircraft type since its inaugural flight in November 2013.
Jetstar has also taken today to announce a number of routes that will now be operated by the 787 from later this year.
These routes include Melbourne – Tokyo (Narita), four times per week from July 10, Melbourne – Singapore, five times per week from August 5, Melbourne – Honolulu, three times each week from September 14, and Brisbane – Honolulu, three times a week from September 14.
Hrdlicka said the introduction of the 787 had helped the low fares airline improve the onboard experience for customers while also significantly reducing operating costs.
“The introduction of this aircraft has fundamentally changed the economics of our long haul flying with the substantial fuel savings it delivers and will also reduce maintenance costs,” she said.
“We’re looking forward to taking delivery of three additional 787s this year and completing the transition to an all 787 long haul fleet by September.
“This will enable us to offer a more consistent experience across our long haul international network and unlock further cost benefits to help us keep fares low for our customers.”
The delivery of the remaining 787s on order will see Jetstar offer the aircraft on all long haul routes by September 2015. Fares on 787 services are available to book at Jetstar.com as of today.
