21 hours ago
Jetstar takes advantage of huge Thailand boom
Thailand has always been a popular destination among Aussies – but since the release of the latest White Lotus series, travel to the destination has particularly boomed.
Not long after the first episode of the new season dropped in February, Expedia searches for Koh Samui, where the film is set, spiked 70 per cent.
'This year, two-thirds of travellers say movies, streaming services and TV shows have influenced their travel choices, with a 16 per cent increase year-on-year [and] this trend shows no signs of slowing in 2025,' Expedia travel expert, Sarah King said.
According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), during the first four months this year, Australian arrivals grew by 16 per cent year-on-year to 273,961.
Jetstar has also seen a boom in passengers visiting the destination and is now expanding its services to Thailand, adding more than 100,000 new low-fare seats between the two destinations.
In 2024 alone, more than 400,000 passengers visited the Southeast Asian destination.
'We're reshaping our international network to focus on high-demand destinations, adding an additional 130,000 seats across Thailand, South Korea and Japan each year, and allowing Australians to take off more, for less,' Jetstar executive manager commercial planning, Lyle Brownscombe said.
From October 2025, Jetstar will introduce two additional return flights per week between Brisbane – Bangkok, bringing the total to five weekly services within a year of launch.
It will also add a weekly return flight between Melbourne and Bangkok, and two extra services between Sydney and Phuket during the peak Christmas holiday travel period.
Fares will start from $299 – for example from Sydney to Phuket, one-way and $309 from Melbourne to Bangkok, one-way.
The boost to Thailand flights comes as Jetstar this week became the largest carrier between Australia and South Korea, adding three more weekly flights between Sydney and Seoul.
The airline now operates 10 return services per week to the South Korean capital city from Sydney and Brisbane.
'Our growth into Asia is backed by a significant investment in our fleet, including next-generation aircraft and upgrades to our Dreamliners, allowing us to fly further and more efficiently with more comfort for passengers,' Ms Brownscombe said.
In celebration of its expansion, the airline is having a sale.
Meanwhile, Jetstar airline will retire its Australia–Hawaii service, with the final Sydney–Honolulu flight departing October 24, 2025. Qantas will subsequently operate services from Melbourne and Sydney to Honolulu. The move has allowed Jetstar to redeploy its Boeing 787 Dreamliners to high-demand routes across Asia.
