Jetstar is preparing for its busiest Easter on record, with more than 400,000 customers set to hop on board across the five-day long weekend period.
Together with Qantas, the airlines expect to carry over 840,000 passengers, marking a major 15 per cent increase on the same period last year.
The Easter break also kicks off a bumper April travel period, spanning ANZAC Day and school holidays, with Qantas Group anticipating nearly two million domestic and international travellers across its network this month.
Easter Thursday, Easter Monday and the Sunday after ANZAC Day are shaping up as the busiest days, with 200,000 passengers expected to travel each day.
“Following significant growth across our low fares network, this will be Jetstar’s biggest Easter peak ever as we carry more than 400,000 customers over the five-day Easter long weekend,” Jetstar Group CEO Stephanie Tully said.
Easter extras
To keep things moving smoothly, both carriers have ramped up preparations for the expected deluge in demand, including extra pilots and cabin crew on standby, spare aircraft at the ready, and more airport staff to assist with check-in and bag drop during busy times.
Jetstar is also spreading the Easter cheer with surprises for families, including colouring packs onboard.
In addition, Qantas’ mascot Matilda will make appearances at major airports.
“With this year’s Easter long weekend expected to be one of our busiest in recent years, our teams have worked hard to be ready for the hundreds of thousands of customers who’ll be flying with us,” Qantas Domestic CEO Markus Svensson said.
“Our operations are in a strong position coming into the April holidays with more than 80 per cent of our domestic flights departing on time each month and international flights also performing well.”
What’s hot?
According to Qantas Group, Japan, Bali, New Zealand and Fiji top the international holiday wishlist, while Cairns, Hobart and Hamilton Island lead domestic demand.
Interestingly, Qantas Frequent Flyers have snapped up over 400,000 reward seats this April – a 26 per cent jump from last year.
New routes
Qantas recently launched its first-ever Darwin-Singapore service, a move set to transform travel for Northern Territory residents heading to Asia and Europe.
Meanwhile, Jetstar kicked off a new international route of its own, with the airline’s first-ever flight between Cairns and Christchurch taking off.
Plan ahead
According to the Australian Airports Association (AAA), Thursday (17 April) is set to be the busiest day for domestic travel this Easter, with Good Friday close behind.
“We’re expecting a very busy Easter period at airports around Australia, so we want to remind passengers to plan ahead and prepare in case of any unforeseen disruptions,” AAA CEO Simon Westaway said.
“We’ve seen several incidents recently involving disruptive passengers and that kind of behaviour will not be tolerated. All aviation staff deserve to be treated with patience and respect.”
