We give you an inside look at what it’s like to fly onboard Jetstar’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner Business Class between Sydney and Seoul.

South Korea is quietly climbing up the ranks of Australia’s list of most popular travel destinations, with the South Korean government reporting a record-breaking 198,000 Australian visitors in 2023 and 2024 numbers were expected to hit over 200,000 for the first time (with last reported numbers sitting at 170,000 in September). A growing obsession with K-culture – think everything from K-pop and K-drama to K-beauty and Korean cuisine – has led to its rise in popularity. And Jetstar wasted no time in making it possible – and more affordable – for Aussies to take the 10.5-hour journey direct to the capital.

The airline reports over 240,000 passengers have flown its Sydney to Seoul route since launching in October 2022 and it is showing no signs of slowing down. Australian Traveller’s Head of Content Katie Carlin recently flew Jetstar Business Class from Sydney to Seoul (Incheon) to see if the flight is as easy and affordable as they say it is.

Pre-departure

Sydney International Airport was busy when I arrived for my late Monday morning JQ47 flight to Incheon and Jetstar’s dedicated Business Class line made the check-in process seamless. Unfortunately, the airport was experiencing significant delays through security and immigration. Airport attendants were directing everyone to join one queue that wrapped around the perimeter of the airport check-in area. It also meant I missed the much shorter Business Class line. But I had baked in enough time to allow for delays, so it wasn’t a stressful experience.

Jetstar doesn’t have its own business class lounge, but if you upgrade to a Business Class Max ticket (approximately an extra $200), you can gain access into the Qantas International Business Lounge at Sydney Airport, as well as other benefits. I was flying on a standard Business Class ticket, so I headed to the food court for refreshments before the flight.

My Business Class ticket came with priority boarding, which meant no long queues or rush to get onboard to make sure the overhead bin space wasn’t taken by another passenger (honestly, the lack of carry-on space is what causes me the most stress when flying economy these days).

The seat

The first thing to note about Jetstar’s Business Class experience is that you don’t get a lie-flat seat, but you do get a wide leather recliner with retractable footrest and a generous amount of legroom (tip: if you’re tall, the middle seat offers the most leg space as there are no fixtures to obstruct the space under the seat in front of you). Being a day flight, I wasn’t planning on sleeping anyway, however my return flight was overnight, and I can confirm that I slept roughly seven hours – it probably helps that I am only 5’2, but I found it comfortable and spacious enough to sleep in. Each seat also has its own armrest, so I didn’t have to fight for elbow room and charging my tech was easy with a universal power socket and two USB ports beside the footrest. The seats are at the front of the plane and are configured in a 2-3-2 layout.

Food and beverage

A flight attendant welcomed me onboard with an option of sparkling wine or orange juice and handed me a lunch and drinks menu to choose from [see photo of the menu below] – I chose ravioli with spinach, pumpkin and basil.

She also advised that a second light meal, consisting of a vegetable pie, slice of bread and a mango swirl cake would be served mid-flight. There are also options for unlimited snacks throughout the flight, but it’s easy to miss this on the menu. Make sure you ask what’s available if you get peckish as the offering is quite extensive.

The food and drink onboard was enjoyable, I was handed a bag of pretzels straight after take-off and both the pie and the pasta were satisfying.

Entertainment

Even though Seoul is only one hour behind Sydney the lights were turned off and windows dimmed immediately after lunch service. A reading light is available above to continue reading or working on a laptop, but I gave up on work after a few hours of typing in darkness and read my Kindle instead. However, there were plenty of other passengers happily taking the opportunity to rest or watch a movie.

The in-flight entertainment included three pages of new release movies and a fairly extensive library of films, television shows and audio options to choose from. I didn’t watch anything on the flight over, but I watched Saturday Night and most of The Outrun on the return leg. Note, there is no wi-fi onboard – but I prefer to disconnect while on a flight, so it didn’t bother me.

Service

The service onboard was very good. The cabin crew were quick to help me when I struggled to get my footrest to release after take-off and before landing. Food and drinks were served and cleared efficiently, and the crew would walk the aisles intermittently throughout the flight to check if they were needed.

Each seat came with a set of headphones (I had brought my own noise-cancelling headphones, and they still worked with one pin in the socket), pillow, blanket and an onboard amenities kit with inflatable neck pillow, socks, eye mask, ear plugs, hand cream, lip balm, wet wipes, toothbrush and toothpaste and a pen.

The verdict

Jetstar’s Business Class experience is in line with its more affordable price point. The absence of a lie-flat bed makes it more comparable to a Premium Economy seat on other full-service airlines. However, the seats are extremely comfortable, and I had ample legroom and didn’t struggle to sleep on the overnight return flight.

The flight time is long enough to justify upgrading to Business Class from Economy for the extra comfort, full food and drink service and priority boarding. Plus, you also get 30kg of checked baggage, 14kg of carry-on and seat selection included in the cost. Speaking as someone who departed with 16kg checked luggage and returned with 22kg, trust me when I say you’ll be thankful for the extra weight after visiting Olive Young.

From June 2025, Jetstar will operate up to 10 return flights between Australia and Seoul each week, making it the largest carrier between the two countries.

The writer experienced South Korea on InsideAsia Tours’ Soul of Korea small group tour. Keep reading to find out why South Korea is a destination on the rise.

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