(EXCHANGE. Jetstar Asia CEO Bara Pasupathi and CIAC chief Alex Cauguiran hold gifts they exchanged — native Kapampangan pidayit outfit and a model Jetstar plane — after launch of the airline’s Clark-Osaka flight. Photo by Bong Lacson)
CLARK FREEPORT – “We have a very good track record.” Thus, said Jetstar Asia CEO Bara Pasupathi on the eve of the low-cost carrier’s (LCC) formal launching of its maiden flight from Clark to Osaka at the Midori Hotel and Casino here on March 26.
He said when it comes to safety, reliability and low fares, Jetstar Asia outshines the other LCCs.
“We have the highest standard when it comes to safety,” he said.
“If you have seen the airline ratings just recently, Jetstar Asia is in the top 10 safest LCCs in the world,” he pointed out.
Pasupathi also said if you look at reliability in the sense of OTP or on time performance, Jetstar Asia is ranked fivestar and awarded with such in the last season.
“Jetstar got an OTP of 86 percent and this is the second in the Asia Pacific,” he said.
But the most important thing is the competitive cost, Pasupathi said: “Jetstar’s fare is guaranteed low fare in the market compared with others.”
“Another thing would be our customers which we put in the center in everything we do and we do everything to win the hearts of customers,” he stressed.
“Every team member from the top management right down to frontline team members, from the pilots to the flight attendants, we want to touch each one of you in a way that you will be surprise and delighted about your experience onboard with us,” he assured.
On March 27, the inaugural Jetstar Asia flight from the Clark International Airport here to the Kansai International Airport (KIX) in Osaka, Japan took off as scheduled at 7 a.m. The Jetstar Asia inaugural flight is “the first of three return services a week,” said Pasupathi.
The inaugural flight was fully booked with 180 passengers onboard Jetstar’s Airbus A320 aircraft from Clark to Osaka and another 180 seats sold from Osaka to Clark.
Pasupathi said because of this, he was fortunate to sit in the cockpit with the pilots in the inaugural flight.
Pasupathi said they have been busy at Jetstar: “Since November, we launched Singapore- Clark and Singapore- Okinawa, Japan in July and we have also now welcomed Qantas A380s coming from Dubai in Singapore, Jetstar Asia’s base.”
Jetstar Asia’s parent, Jetstar Airways, is the LCC subsidiary airline of Australia’s Qantas airline.
Growth
Pasupathi said Jetstar Asia has expanded its services here from three to five services a week from Clark to Singapore citing “the rapid growth” of Clark.
“We are very focused. We are happy with our expansion in Osaka and right now we see many growths,” he said.
In terms of Infrastructure development, Pasupathi acknowledged the availability of competitive services.
“We are happy to partner with ground handling services PAGS (Philippine Airport Ground Services) in Clark and Manila since March 16,” he said.
“We are happy with the availability of good class service providers,” he added.
Jetstar Asia’s oneway promotional fare for Osaka is pegged at P4,698. But Pasupathi said early bookers will be guaranteed lower fares.
“Families are excited to bring their children to Osaka, to Universal Studios and other sites, so book early,” he said.
Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) chief executive Alex Cauguiran agreed with Pasupathi: “It is really very important when it comes to OTP and being rated by aviation experts on the OTP is excellent.”
“That means convenience for passengers. How could you beat that?” he said.
More than 20 million residents of Northern and Central Luzon can now start availing of Jetstar Asia’s service to Osaka, Japan.
To book flights travelers can visit its website at Jetstar.com.
