Airline review: Is the new flight between Sydney and Busselton any good?

Frequency and duration: Three times a week, five hours

Class and price: Economy, from $135 one-way (on sale)

I'm on Jetstar's new direct flight JQ898 from Sydney to Busselton, in the popular Margaret River wine region in Western Australia's south-west. The route, which runs three times a week, launched in March and follows the success of Jetstar's Melbourne to Busselton direct flight, which started in April 2022.

CHECKING IN: Unsurprisingly, I am greeted with long queues at Sydney Domestic Airport on the first day of the NSW school holidays. I collect my boarding pass via the self-serve kiosk and drop off checked baggage at the counter. Friendly staff have their eyes fixed on boarding passes and usher crowds at an incredibly efficient speed.

Seven kilograms of carry-on luggage is included in the flight price, which can be split between two bags (one stored overhead and one underneath a seat). You can upgrade to Flex for 14kg of carry-on luggage; Plus for 20kg of checked baggage; or Max for a 30kg allowance.

THE FLIGHT: The direct flight is about five hours, we're 30 minutes behind schedule but still arrive on time at 2pm AWST. On the Airbus A320-200, there are families and travellers of all ages, which makes for some cute moments: at one point a toddler with curly blonde hair walks down the aisle tightly grasping a T-rex figurine, stopping to make friends with the kid in front of me.

THE CLASS: The single-class plane has a three-by-three layout with 186 seats and three bathrooms. The seat pitch of 29 inches is typical for economy and the seat width of 17.9 inches is fairly comfortable. Seats supposedly recline but this novice traveller can't find any lever or button. I'm sitting in an aisle seat 18C at the wing of the plane, the middle seat is free providing some extra elbow movement. There are air-conditioning vents and reading lights above me.

FOOD AND DRINKS: Food and drinks can be purchased on the flight via Jetstar vouchers or cards (strictly no cash). I choose the banana bread and coffee combo for $8, both are average but served with a big smile. The staff take orders twice during the flight.

ENTERTAINMENT: For an extra cost Jetstar Entertainment + is available on your device while in airplane mode and connected to Jetstar's Wi-Fi. The $9 package includes movies, TV shows, games and podcasts, but beware the range is limited. Entertainment for the direct flight is mostly BYO.

THE SERVICE: The friendly cabin crew of five makes the flight a smooth no-fuss journey. They quickly serve passengers and even answer some curious kids' questions.

Read more on Explore:

IN A NUTSHELL: Margaret River is now a lot closer for NSW travellers with cheap airfares and a no-frills direct flight. Don't forget to bring some entertainment or opt for a window seat for magical views of Australia.

Explore more: jetstar.com

The writer was a guest of Jetstar.