New Jetstar route offers fast, direct flight to a Bali alternative

1 month ago 12

Cloe Read

January 20, 2026 — 5:00am

The airline: Jetstar

Route Brisbane to Cebu, Philippines, flight JQ101
Frequency Three times a week from Brisbane (Wed, Fri, Sun). Jetstar has also announced a fourth trip will be added.
Aircraft Airbus A321neo
Class Economy, seat 2F (window)
Flight time 6 hours, 45 minutes (departed 10 minutes late, arrived 10 minutes late)

The new flights take off from Brisbane on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday.

Checking in

It’s mid-morning and midweek when I arrive and prepare to take off for the inaugural 12.30pm flight. The lines are suddenly growing after an issue with the airport’s check-in screens. One woman complains about the queues as a man cheerily hands out Jetstar T-shirts to celebrate the new route. Despite my mental preparation for a long wait, the line moves relatively fast, and I’m ready to go. I contemplate if this could be my next quick getaway destination.

Baggage

A Starter Plus fare allows 7 kilograms of carry-on, and checked baggage up to 20 kilograms. For a Starter Fare, checked baggage up to 20 kilograms costs $46 extra each way.

Loyalty Scheme

Through Club Jetstar (at a cost of $65 for the first year), members get early access to sales, discounted baggage and can save on car hire and travel insurance. Qantas points can also be earned on Jetstar flights, depending on the type of fare.

The seat

Jetstar’s A321neo cabin is all economy class. Craig Platt

The all-economy cabin is a 3-3 formation, and my window seat of 2F feels roomier than other economy flights I’ve been on, despite the fact that the seats are smaller on this plane than on Jetstar’s longer-haul Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The seat is 18 inches (45.7 centimetres) wide, with a seat pitch (legroom) of 29 inches (73.7 centimetres), the same as Jetstar’s domestic aircraft. At 163 centimetres, I have plenty of legroom, but taller passengers, including a gentleman with a walking cane, appear to find the seats reasonable. All seats have a USB charging port. Seats at the front of the cabin, like mine, cost an extra $28 each way to select, for the privilege of getting off the plane faster.

Entertainment + tech

All seats on the flight have charging ports, and passengers can use their own devices for entertainment.

This aircraft has no entertainment screens, so Jetstar offers a QR code on the back of the seat in front of you to watch shows on your own device. To use it, passengers must connect to Jetstar Wi-Fi, and pay $7 for a plan. But on this occasion, the webpage says card payments are unavailable. Good thing I’ve already got shows downloaded – like many other travellers preparing for an international trip.

Service

The service is lively for the first flight out. Attendants quickly respond to call buttons, and take extra care to regularly service an elderly couple up front. The meal is served within half an hour of take-off, and rubbish is cleared quickly.

Food

I’m served teriyaki vegetable hokkien noodles ($15). It’s a generous serving, and for a lunchtime take off, it’s adequate as the only meal for the six-hour flight. Passengers can also buy snacks from the on-board menu during the flight.

Sustainability

Jetstar has committed to a zero-emissions target by 2050 and passengers can buy carbon credits to offset some of their flight emissions.*

One more thing

Cebu is not just a travel destination for those who want to see the sardine run, swim with whale sharks or visit Magellan’s Cross – it’s now a major business hub, and will host the 45th ASEAN Tourism Forum in late January. It’s also one of 10 new destinations launched by Jetstar from Queensland in the past year alone.

The view from the window seat flying into Cebu aboard Jetstar’s inaugural flight out of Brisbane in early December. Cloe Read

The price

From about $650 return from Brisbane to Cebu for a Starter fare (no checked luggage)**.

The verdict

This non-stop flight feels incredibly short, and you can take off and land in Cebu with time to head to a restaurant or taste the local street food for dinner. It’s an affordable getaway to a tropical paradise that offers an alternative to the likes of Bali. The flight time is not much longer than crossing the country to Perth.