‘I was so overwhelmed and wide-eyed’: Jetstar veteran on 15 years of flying in New Zealand

Wednesday, 12 June 2024

It has been 15 years since Jetstar took to the skies around New Zealand.

It first launched in New Zealand in December 2005 flying between Sydney and Christchurch, before it flew domestic New Zealand flights on June 10, 2009 to Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown.

Sofie Ayres has worked the domestic flights from the start as a flight attendant. She is now the in-flight standards and development manager.

“You wouldn’t believe the growth I've seen from the company over the last 15 years”, she told Stuff Travel.

“From starting out and it being a little-known airline. Starting out with a low-cost model that not many people knew about to moving into our flights now that are full. We barely have flights that have empty seats any more. To see the growth and development that's happened within the company in all those years, all the new destinations they've started and what's to come, it's been exciting. It's always something to look forward to.”

Based out of Christchurch, Ayres estimated she has worked on more than 10,000 flights.

“The Christchurch crew were really lucky for about nine years we got to do overnights in Fiji. Travelling to a new destination and meeting people in holiday mode and sharing in their joy, but also forming and building solid friendships with the crew has been probably one of the biggest highlights of my career.”

She did have one regret.

“I had Jason Momoa on my flight. It was when Game of Thrones just started and he sat in the wrong seat, so I politely went up to chat to him and asked him his name. He very quietly and discreetly told me his name so that I couldn't hear him. He told me a couple of times and I thought, ’oh, that rings a bell. He looks familiar’.

“Just before we left Queenstown, I went in to the captain and I said, ‘any chance you can quickly Google ‘Khal Drogo’ before we leave?’ and he said, ‘I've got no time, we've got to go’, so we left.”

When the flight landed in Christchurch, passengers were taking photos with Momoa.

“I thought, ‘oh, it had to have been him. I don't know if it was, was it just a nice guy? He got off and the captain and I Googled who he was and I was so upset, I missed my chance. It's been my biggest regret”.

Compared to her first day on the job, which she described as “alien“, Ayres said she now feels at home in the sky.

“I couldn't believe they let me sit in the crew seat and fly in the plane. I couldn't believe that I was doing that. I was so overwhelmed and wide-eyed, now it's my home.“

Since the 2009 launch of domestic flights in New Zealand, more than 18 million people have travelled with the airline for less than $100.

“When we started not many people knew what a low-cost model was,” Ayres said.

“There were a few other airlines starting, testing the market as well with low-cost models, and Jetstar slid in at the right time where people were starting to look for cheaper ways or more affordable ways to travel.

“It's been great to see New Zealanders get on board and understand what a low-cost model is. It's been really cool to see that people that might not be able to afford to travel are now able to travel. We offer so much to so many people now. It’s so great.”

University of Auckland Emeritus Professor of Economics Tim Hazledine was impressed by the way Jetstar has managed to maintain its low fares.

“Since its arrival on our shores in 2009, Jetstar has been a welcome player in the market, offering low prices to Kiwi travellers and providing some discipline to the pricing of competitors.

“It will come as no surprise to Kiwis that prices on both everyday and luxury items have been steadily on the rise, but my research shows that, over the past decade, domestic airfares in New Zealand have risen at less than the rate of consumer price inflation - beating that trend.

“Jetstar has continued to offer reasonable fares on the last-minute travel that airlines often use as an excuse to hike prices.”

In December 2015, Jetstar began regional services in New Zealand to Napier, Nelson, New Plymouth and Palmerston North, becoming a welcomed second player in the market against Air New Zealand.

When the routes were announced in August 2015, 15,000 tickets at $9 each were snapped up in four hours, crashing the Jetstar website.

Air New Zealand hit back, releasing hundreds of $9 fares to and from Hamilton, Rotorua, Tauranga and Invercargill, which it said had been 'left out' of Jetstar's plans.

Jetstar ceased its regional routes at the end of November 2019 as “the commercial numbers just don’t stack up to keep operating,” the airline said at the time.

The airline also hasn’t come without its complaints. In 2015, a flight attendant asked a passenger if she was pregnant. She was not.

In July 2022, a Wellington teenager was left “terrified” and stranded alone in Auckland with just an $8 food voucher, after her flight from Queenstown was diverted.

In May 2024, Jetstar admitted it had not paid some Kiwi travellers - who are legally entitled to a compensation - after having their domestic flights delayed or cancelled.