Jetstar Pacific

Based in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), this airline became part of the Jetstar network in 2008, after previously being known as Pacific Airlines since 1991. The airline serves 16 domestic and international destinations with a fleet of 10 Airbus A320 aircraft. Jetstar Pacific is owned by two major shareholders; Vietnam Airlines (70%) and Qantas (30%).

Jetstar Pacific connects Vietnam with a whole host of other Asian countries, including Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong. In addition, it’s incredibly easy to travel further afield as the airline is part of the wider Jetstar network.

There are 12 flights each day between HCMC and Hanoi, with the two hour flight usually costing around VND690,000. There are also another 12 departures from Hanoi to HCMC.

From HCMC you can reach Hue in under 1 ½ hours, there is one flight per day which is priced at approximately VND370,000.

From HCMC there are also plenty of flights to regional hub Singapore. There are four departures each day for the two hour journey, with tickets usually priced at around VND390,000.

Another popular route with Jetstar Pacific is HCMC to Bangkok and there is one direct flight per day as well as several that will require changes.

One of the biggest advantages with travelling with Jetstar Pacific is the fact that the airline is part of the wider Jetstar network, which is ideal if you are looking to travel outside of Asia. It’s easy and affordable to travel to all destinations in the Jetstar group.

The price of flights offered by Jetstar Pacific tend to be very competitive and therefore the airline is hugely popular with those travelling on a budget. You won’t find many airlines offering lower fares for travel within Vietnam and it is an excellent choice if you wish to travel between Hanoi and HCMC quickly and without siting on a bus or train for 36 hours!

Remember that Jetstar Pacific is a budget airline so don’t expect the luxuries offered by some other airlines in the region. For example, you won’t receive any complimentary food or drink during your journey. Although, of course you’ll be able to buy this on board, it will be expensive and not great quality.

Customer service with Jetstar Pacific is not known for being particularly great; in some cases your dealings with airline staff can leave a lot to be desired. Unfortunately, this is likely to be true with budget airlines worldwide. As long as they get you to your destination on time then that is what matters.

The aircraft is likely to be fairly basic and may not be hugely comfortable for some of the longer trips but it should be fine for domestic and short international flights.

If you do book a longer-distance flight which requires a connection, it’s always worth checking how long the wait will be between flights. A long wait can be inconvenient but a short wait can be stressful, especially if your initial flight experiences delays.

Travellers continue to choose Jetstar Pacific mainly for the very low ticket prices which provide better value than almost any other airline in the region.

For domestic travel within Vietnam it is of course cheaper to travel between Hanoi and HCMC by bus or train, but it is considerably longer! In some cases, especially if Jetstar Pacific has a sale, there may actually be very little difference in cost.

As is the case with most budget airlines, the most common cause for complaint is the high number of delays to services. It is always worth taking this into account when you are planning your trip, for example, if you’ll be catching a bus from the airport, you may want to consider leaving a few hours spare just in case your flight is delayed.