Jetstar to reveal new Boeing 787 routes next week?

Jetstar hopes to reveal its next set of Boeing 787 routes next week, planned around the early 2014 debut of two more Dreamliners in the low-cost carrier's fleet.

The airline's first Boeing 787 is currently shuttling between its Melbourne base and the Gold Coast and Cairns as Jetstar completes a series of domestic flights to bed down the next-gen jet before it begins international service on the Melbourne-Bali route from Wednesday December 18.

However, the Dreamliner will be making its daily visits to Denpasar only "over the summer period", Jetstar says, so other routes are on the cards.

Earlier this year Jetstar CEO Jayne Hrdlicka said "we expect to add more destinations, including Phuket, Japan, Hawaii and Singapore, to the 787's flying schedule as we receive more aircraft."

Jetstar expects to take delivery of its second 787 later this month with the third arriving in January.

As Jetstar has spoken of "new routes" for the new year, some flyers are pinning their hopes on a service to Hong Kong, pending the launch of Jetstar Hong Kong.

A joint venture between Qantas, Shanghai-based China Eastern and Hong Kong business magnate and billionaire Stanley Ho, through his conglomerate Shun Tak Holdings, Jetstar Hong Kong represents perhaps its parent's most ambitious expansion to date.

Qantas originally hoped for a mid-2013 launch for Jetstar Hong Kong but has faced delays in gaining regulatory approval, along with staunch opposition from HK incumbents Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong Airlines and Hong Kong Express. This could make a HK service too tentative until the startup airline has locked down a definite launch date.

David Flynn

David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.