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Qantas Group is replacing Jetstar on Melbourne–Honolulu with mainline Qantas services.
The twice-weekly Jetstar 787-8 service will end on 30 April, to be supplanted in May by Qantas A330s, which will operate three times per week. Qantas says it will operate 40,000 seats on Melbourne–Honolulu per year, replacing 335 Jetstar seats per flight.
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Jetstar, which was the second airline to operate Dreamliners into Honolulu when it began services to the Hawaiian capital in 2015, will redeploy the 787s currently flying there to other routes.
“We are thrilled to continue to enhance our network in America with the launch of a new route from Melbourne to Honolulu, bringing a new, tropical destination to our Melbourne customers,” Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace said.
“Our new service ensures continued connectivity for Melburnians to Hawaii, while enabling Jetstar to redeploy its 787 aircraft to other destinations and long-haul routes.”
Qantas and Jetstar’s Sydney–Honolulu services will remain unchanged; Sydney–Honolulu is also served by Hawaiian Airlines.
Jetstar last year announced a refresh to the cabins on its 787-8 Dreamliners, with business class seats to double to 44, economy seats to be replaced with more ergonomic models, and on-board Wi-Fi to be installed.
To make room for the extra business seats, the total seats across the whole aircraft will drop from 335 to 325. There will also be “new ways” for customers, including Club Jetstar members, to book business class seats.
Additionally, seat-back screens will be removed to reduce weight and fuel burn, to be replaced by the device holders with in-flight Wi-Fi.
“This multi-million-dollar fleet revamp will allow us to offer our customers more choice, comfort and amenities when flying longer distances internationally,” said Jetstar CEO Stephanie Tully in November.
“Our existing 787 business class offering is extremely popular, so we’re doubling the number of business class seats, and to keep customers connected in the air, we’re introducing on-board Wi-Fi.
“The new crew rest areas mean our crew will be able to get the rest they need to operate longer flights, unlocking the possibility of exciting new destinations like Sri Lanka and India.”
The overhaul to each of Jetstar’s 11 787 aircraft will be carried out during scheduled maintenance starting in 2025.
