First flight for Jetstar’s renovated Dreamliner

“The cabin transformation is remarkable, but what really matters is what it means for our customers – more comfort, more connectivity, and soon, more destinations,” said Jetstar CEO Stephanie Tully.

“We’ve invested heavily in this fleet because we believe our customers deserve access to more low fares on longer international routes, and these refurbished aircraft are how we deliver that.

“Doubling our business cabin means more people than ever can take off in style for less and installing Wi-Fi capability gives customers can remain fully connected in the air.

“With the capability to fly up to 16 hours, we’re now better placed than ever to connect our customers to more of the world for less. This is just the first of 11 – we’re only getting started.”

The refurbishments come ahead of Jetstar launching flights to Sri Lanka later this year, which are enabled by the crew rest facilities. According to Ted Knight, head of network and fleet strategy for the airline, the upgrade is “about providing flexibility so that people can pay for what they choose and get a tailored product to suit their needs”.

“Our 787s have an extensive network across Asia. They already fly to Japan, to Korea, to Vietnam and Thailand and Singapore,” he said.

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“Part of what we’re doing with this new cabin enhancement, and the extended range that we get from the crew rest, is it means we can potentially expand that to further destinations.

“The first one of those that we’re very excited about is we’re launching services to Sri Lanka from August of this year, and that for us is going to be our new longest flight. We’re really excited to bring Jetstar to the Sri Lanka market.

“For customers, this new experience on our 787 just means they can enjoy low fares, great choice, and they can fly to more destinations.”

The current 787 seating is being replaced with ergonomic designs by RECAERO Aircraft Seating, with the economy seats featuring seat-back device holders, charging outlets, and six-way headrests, while business will also have device holders, power, and headrests, plus a “generous recline”.

To make room for the extra business seats – 44, as opposed to the current 21 – 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, said Sophie Dawson, Jetstar’s program manager for the 787 cabin refresh.

“As part of the cabin refresh, we have replaced every seat on board the aircraft. The new seats don’t have seat-back screens, and that’s a massive positive for our customers. It helps us by reducing weight on board the aircraft, which lets us keep fares low,” she said.

“We’re introducing, for the first time ever on a Jetstar aircraft, in-flight connectivity with a ViaSat satellite product.

“It will stream entertainment and internet directly to customers devices, and it’s complimentary for our business class passengers, and it will have a couple of different pricing models for our economy customers.”

All of Jetstar’s Dreamliners are expected to undergo the refits by the end of 2027.