Jetstar is setting out to make its online booking system as millennial-friendly as possible through the introduction of a layby feature, allowing users to ‘book now and pay later’.
‘Afterpay’ rolled out this week as the first airline layby system in Australia available to online shoppers booking regular and sales fares.
Currently, ‘book now and pay later’ is only available to Australian customers booking domestic flights costing between $200 and $1,000. The booking needs to be at least eight weeks before departure and comes with a service for of $10 per transaction.
Users will be able to select the Afterpay option after choosing their fare and will be required to pay off the booking in four equal fortnightly instalments.
According to Jetstar’s Group Chief Executive Jayne Hrdlicka, the latest website feature is part of the carrier’s mission to make travel more accessible in the Aussie market.
“Partnering with Afterpay gives our customers the option to lock in low fares at today’s prices and pay over time, even during our sales.”
Jayne Hrdlicka, Jetstar Group Chief Executive
“Many of Jetstar’s customers already use Afterpay to purchase items at various retailers and are familiar with the flexibility of paying over time.”
Co-Founder and Head of Afterpay Nick Molnar said the Jetstar agreement provides the opportunity for Afterpay to move into a brand-new product category and offer its customers more variety, particularly in a market where millennials are very active and spending on travel is growing as a percentage of their disposable income.
“There has been a clear shift in millennials share of wallet towards the services industry and more specifically travel,” he said.
“We believe the demand for Afterpay in the travel market will be very strong.”
Jetstar’s layby option comes less than two months after rolling out ‘split payments’, a system which was also designed to accommodate millennials by allowing them to ‘split the bill’ with their friends.