Which weekly sale is better?
Two of Australia’s biggest airlines both offer weekly sales on their entry-level fare class, but which one is better? Well, it depends on what you’re after. We compare Virgin’s Happy Hour vs Jetstar’s Friday Fare Frenzy sale in five categories to help you figure out which sale is better for you.
Where Virgin Australia’s Happy Hour sales are better than Jetstar
- In-flight comfort
- Frequent flyer points
Where Virgin Australia’s Happy Hour sales is not better than Jetstar
- Price
- Flexibility
- Length of sale
In flight comforts
Sale fare or not, all Virgin Australia fares include access to in-flight entertainment and a tea, coffee or water on board. Jetstar’s base fares don’t include any of that.
Some Jetstar flights do offer entertainment options, but not all.
- If you’re booked on a Jetstar A321, you’ll be able to pay for in-flight entertainment that you can watch on your own device
- If you’re booked on a Jetstar 787 Dreamliner, there are seat-back TVs you can watch on, but you will need to pay to use them. However News.com.au recently reported that these are going to be removed from planes .
Frequent flyer points
Virgin allows travellers to collect Velocity points with every fare class, where Jetstar flights only include Qantas Frequent Flyer points for Plus fares, which are upgraded tickets.
According to Point Hacks, both one Velocity Point and one Qantas Point (which is what you’ll be able to earn with Jetstar) are worth $0.19.
Looking at a flight from Perth to Brisbane, with Virgin’s Lite fares you can earn 1,175 points ($223 worth of points). Jetstar’s base fare earns you non, but if you do choose to upgrade you’ll get 1,450 points ($274 worth). That said, you’ll also be paying more but getting more.
Price
Probably the most important factor in any sale, pricing has a clear winner between these sales.
Jetstar’s fares are almost always lower, usually starting at $29 or $39. Virgin’s fares are usually starting at $45 or $55.
We recommend comparing specific fares though and the dates they’re available. Cheap flights are usually available on less desirable dates, after all. If Virgin has a sale with $49 flights in peak season while Jetstar has one for the same route in the middle of winter for $39, the Virgin fares may just be the better buy.
Take a look at some recent Happy Hour and Friday Fare Frenzy sales to compare the deals.
Recent Virgin Australia Happy Hour sales
Flexibility
Jetstar only charges $70 for a change to your booking, while Virgin charges $99. both airlines will also charge you the fare difference.
Length of the sale
Virgin Australia’s sale is just seven hours, while Jetstar’s sale is eight hours.
The usual sale times of Virgin’s Happy Hour vs Jetstar’s Friday Fare Frenzy:
- Virgin Australia: 4pm until 11pm on Thursdays
- Jetstar: 12pm until 8pm on Fridays (if it’s extended, that’s usually until Monday)
Sure, it’s not a huge difference, but we also see Jetstar extend the Friday Fare Frenzy sales right through the weekend a lot more frequently than Virgin extends its sale.
