Jetstar vs Qantas: Who offers the best value long haul?

Low cost Jetstar or full service Qantas? Who would you fly with to Hawaii ? We take a look at who offers the best value, comfort and price

Sharon Petersen

By Sharon Petersen Wed Apr 5, 2023

In this week’s long-haul, low-cost vs full-service airline comparison, we take a look at Jetstar vs Qantas on a flight from Sydney to Honolulu. Looking at cost, comfort, aircraft and flight time we will see who offers the best value.

JOIN: AirlineRatings.com YouTube Channel

GET: Accurate MH370 Information From AirlineRatings.com Newsletter

Our Jetstar vs Qantas fly-off to Honolulu will be taking place on August 28 to September 11th, 2023. Both Jetstar and Qantas operate direct flights on this route with a 787 and A330 respectively.

Our return flight with Jetstar came to $1192 AUD with the inclusion of a meal, snack and four bottles of water on each segment, a standard window seat, access to the in-flight entertainment, 20kg of checked baggage and a 7kg carry-on bag.  Amenity kits such as blankets and pillows are also available for $25 but given most passengers wouldn’t buy these, we left that off the price for this exercise.

Our flight with Qantas came in at $1494 which included meals, snacks, unlimited drinks, in-flight entertainment, amenities, 23kg of baggage and a 7kg carry-on bag.

In terms of comfort, the leg room is only one inch (or 2.5 cm) more on Qantas than Jetstar however the seat recline is roughly double.  The actual seat width is virtually the same.

The Qantas A330 offers a comfortable 2-4-2 seating configuration across the plane where as the 787 is fitted out as 3-3-3.

Despite the layout of the A330 being one of my favourites, with a $302 AUD difference in the fare and a comparable level of comfort and flight time, in this example the author would opt to save that $302 for the destination and take Jetstar.

If you missed last week's long-haul comparison between AirAsiaX and Malaysia Airlines check it out here

Are you enjoying our reviews so far? Are there any routes would you like us to evaluate? Place a comment below or get in touch via our social pages

Have questions or want to share your thoughts?

Comments

No comments yet, be the first to write one.

Latest news and reviews

View more
US aviation safety under scrutiny – what the data really shows
Airline News

US aviation safety under scrutiny – what the data really shows

Apr 2, 2026

Josh Wood
Delta A330 engine fire forces emergency landing
Airline News

Delta A330 engine fire forces emergency landing

Mar 31, 2026

Sharon Petersen
London to New York: how BA, Virgin, JetBlue, United, Delta, and Norse compare
Airline News

London to New York: how BA, Virgin, JetBlue, United, Delta, and Norse compare

Mar 30, 2026

Josh Wood
India opens its latest airport amid growing passenger demand: Noida International Airport
Airline News

India opens its latest airport amid growing passenger demand: Noida International Airport

Mar 30, 2026

Dev Lunawat

Featured articles

View more
World's Best Airline Cabin Awards 2026
Airline News

World's Best Airline Cabin Awards 2026

Mar 18, 2026

Airline Ratings
US aviation safety under scrutiny – what the data really shows
Airline News

US aviation safety under scrutiny – what the data really shows

Apr 2, 2026

Josh Wood
Delta A330 engine fire forces emergency landing
Airline News

Delta A330 engine fire forces emergency landing

Mar 31, 2026

Sharon Petersen
How did an Air Canada Express CRJ900 collide with a fire truck at La Guardia?
Airline News

How did an Air Canada Express CRJ900 collide with a fire truck at La Guardia?

Mar 23, 2026

Dev Lunawat