Jetstar International heads back to Vietnam

Jetstar International is heading back to Vietnam armed with its Boeing 787s and aiming to capitalise on a surge in tourism to the increasingly popular South East Asian destination. The Australian carrier on Wednesday launched its first direct services to Ho Chi Minh City from Melbourne, operating three times weekly, and will fly four times a week from Sydney. Basic one-way fares without baggage start from $A199 from Sydney and $A249 from Melbourne and Jetstar will be the only low-cost carrier providing direct services from the two cities. The new services between Australia and Vietnam constitute the airline’s second attempt to crack the market. The airline flew to Ho Chi Minh City, previously known as Saigon, direct from Sydney between 2006 and 2008 and via Darwin until 2012 when it axed the route for commercial reasons. But growing interest among Australians in Vietnam as a holiday destination and a growing number of Vietnamese visitors to Australia — traffic is up 21 per cent in the past 18 months — helped convince it to head back. There is also potential for low fares to stimulate origin and destination traffic,  with both Sydney and Melbourne home to sizeable Vietnamese populations. The services will connect in Ho Chi Minh City to Jetstar’s Vietnamese joint venture, Jetstar Pacific,  giving customers access to 15 other destinations in Vietnam. Jetstar’s inaugural flight, JQ63,  was scheduled to depart Wednesday from Melbourne to Ho Chi Minh City  piloted by Jetstar chief pilot Georgina Sutton. “Vietnam is one of the fastest growing holiday destinations in South East Asia, and until now has been the largest country in the region without a low-cost direct link to Australia,”  Jetstar Australia and New Zealand chief executive Dean Slater said in a statement. “There is enormous potential for Vietnam to become one of the most popular destinations for Australian travellers thanks to its wonderful year-round climate and great beaches, food and culture.’’ Jetstar’s B787-8s have 335 seats, including 21 older-style business seats that are closer to modern premium economy products. Economy seats are 17 inches wide with a 30-inch seat pitch while the business seats are 19 inches wide with a 38-inch pitch, according to SeatGuru.