Flight Review: Jetstar Business Class from Sydney to Seoul

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

an Australian passport and a Business Class Max ticket, jetstar business class review sydney to seoul — A Business Class ticket comes with priority boarding. (Image: Katie Carlin)

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

food onboard Jetstar’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner Business Class — Ravioli with spinach, pumpkin and basil. (Image: Katie Carlin)

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 menu showing lunch and dinner options onboard Jetstar’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner Business Class — What’s on offer in Jetstar Business Class. (Image: Katie Carlin)

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

a glass of sparkling wine onboard Jetstar’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner Business Class — Kickstart your holiday with a glass of bubbles. (Image: Katie Carlin)

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.

Weekly travel news, experiences
insider tips, offers, and more.

Service

a snack and drink onboard Jetstar’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner Business Class — The snacks and drinks served were enjoyable. (Image: Katie Carlin)

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.

Discover if Cathay Business Class is really worth it

After youth-led protests in 2025, this year Nepal elected a 35-year-old former rapper as Prime Minister. In a country where tourism is its biggest industry, what’s next for travellers?

In 1986, Nepal changed its clock. It had used India Standard Time since 1920 so, to differentiate, it wound its clock 15 minutes ahead of, not behind, its big-brother neighbour. Boss move. “Nepal is strongly opposed to the idea that our identity is connected to India,” says Community Homestay Network (CHN) guide Bikal Khanal.

Tharu dance is traditionally set to hand drums. (Credit: Kate Lewis)

Today, Nepal is the only independent country with a 45-minute deviation to universal time; an oddity that’s become a symbol of national pride. The quirk is nearly as endearing as Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan airport where carved varnished wood and shiny red bricks rule. One sign points to a ‘Travelator’ and another to a ‘Grievance Handling Desk’ while visas are noisily stamped at customs for US dollars, cash only. When am I?

Spot the endemic Nepal gray langur. (Credit: Simon Urwin)

The 15 or 45 minute anomaly sees me tap out completely on timezone calculations. Why bend my brain calculating if it’s quarter to or quarter past elsewhere when I’m in the honking here and now of Kathmandu where the air is high-altitude crisp, the prayer flags flutter and the street dogs howl?

How tourism is changing in Nepal

Bardiya National Park is rich with wildlife. (Credit: Simon Urwin)

India is not the only association many Nepalis would like to shake. With eight of the world’s 10 tallest mountains, including Mount Everest and Annapurna, Nepal has long attracted mountaineers and trekkers, and expedition numbers are continuing to rise.

Tourism is one of the country’s biggest sources of foreign currency, so this growth is not negative, per se. But according to Ang Tshering Lama, who co-founded Phaplu Mountain Bike Club, being reduced to a mere trekking destination is limiting.

“Trekking is just one layer of our identity,” says Ang. “When it becomes the dominant narrative, it limits how we’re seen and how we see ourselves.” Nepal’s recent success, however, in diverting trekkers to less-trafficked areas such as Manaslu mofuntain, where visitor numbers rose by 117 per cent last year, offers hope that tourism can diversify even more radically.

Local men in Bhada village. (Credit: Simon Urwin)

The founder of CHN, Shiva Dhakal, wants that change. “The whole idea of the Community Homestay Network is to promote experiences outside of trekking,” he says. “Community tourism changes lives and helps kids stay home instead of coming to the city or migrating to the Middle East.”

Ang grew up seeing people leave, “not because they wanted to but because there weren’t enough opportunities to stay”, he states. Yet from remote villages to living traditions; food, art, music and emerging subcultures, “there’s so much that’s not being seen.”

CHN is opening some of those doors. It doesn’t own, or fund, any homes. Rather, it promotes homestays to travellers on a single, slick platform, while fostering entrepreneurship in places where women, marginalised castes, Indigenous people and the youth stand to benefit the most.

A new generation demanding more

Dalla Town Hall, where volunteers discuss anti-poaching tactics. (Credit: Bheem Thapa)

The future prospects of next-gen Nepalis can no longer be ignored. On a Kathmandu tour with 33-year-old guide Monica K.C, we pass buildings torched in the September 2025 ‘Gen Z protests’, including the Supreme Court and Parliament House. Seventy-two people died. “They were anti-corruption protests,” says Monica. “Politicians’ children are living a lavish life but the airports are crowded with youngsters leaving to find work.”

We stop in ‘little Tibet’ at the wondrous sixth-century Boudha Stupa. “The wheel of life is Buddhism in a nutshell,” says Monica. “Things such as hate, ignorance and anger keep you rotating around the wheel, so you must follow the principles of Buddhism to detach. If you can’t, there’s no nirvana for you.”

Boudha Stupa's prayer wheels — Boudha Stupa’s prayer wheels are used to recite Buddhist prayers. (Credit: Kate Lewis)

In a sun-drenched twist to the usual temple visit, we ascend the stupa’s sloping plinth and roam its whitewashed dome. Tendrils of diaphanous prayer flags stream from a steeple-like structure where the Buddha’s unblinking eyes stare out. No nirvana for you…

bouda stupa prayer flags — Tibetan-style prayer flags embellish the whitewashed dome of Bouda Stupa, a Buddhist temple. (Credit: Kate Hennessy)

The dome is delightfully free of guard rails or chiding from security. There is, however, a stern ‘No TikTok’ sign, perhaps in response to the youth’s newly flexed power. The booted-out Prime Minister, K.P. Sharma Oli, was replaced in a resounding election victory in March by 35-year-old Balendra Shah of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) – a former rapper and mayor of Kathmandu. The RSP’s manifesto indicates tourism is a priority, and that Nepal’s cultural identity in areas such as gastronomy will be strengthened.

Boudha Stupa vendors — Vibrant souvenir shops and cafes around Boudha Stupa. (Credit: Kate Hennessy)

A more confronting stop awaits at Pashupatinath Temple. Today is Bala Chaturdashi, a Hindu festival where thousands of devotees gather to honour their dead ancestors. Vendors hauling foam mattresses do a lucrative trade as people set up for a night of vigil. This includes burning the bodies of recently deceased relatives on bamboo pyres in the Bagmati River, which flows into the sacred Ganges.

A woman at annual Hindu festival Bala Chaturdashi, in Kathmandu. (Credit: Kate Hennessy)

Wrapped in a shroud, the bodies are positioned with their heads facing north to the Himalayas where Lord Shiva resides. They’re covered with flowers and straw and set alight by male family members.

Hours later, the ashes are swept into the river where devotees will take a holy dip the next day. As much as Monica assures us it’s not voyeuristic to watch, I struggle to do so. “Here you see the reality of life because everyone ends up there,” she says, gesturing to the river.

Life unfiltered in the Terai region

tharu woman — Tharu woman and master weaver Parbati Chaudhary in Bhada Village. (Credit: Bheem Thapa)

The reality of life needs processing time, which the western Terai region delivers in spades. The Terai is largely separated from India by the Karnali River and Bardiya National Park, where elephants, rhinos and the elusive Bengal tiger roam.

Once a nomadic tribe, the Indigenous Tharu people are now the largest ethnic group here. “They didn’t know their daily life was interesting for international travellers but they’re starting to understand now,” says CHN founder Shiva.

Take a Jeep safari through Bardiya National Park. (Credit: Bheem Thapa)

We fly Buddha Air to Dhangadhi airport and drive five hours to stay in Tharu homes. The journey to Bhada village is a blur of roadside fruit stalls, traffic-stopping sacred cows and fields sown with wheat, rice, mustard, spinach, cauliflower and potatoes. Nepal’s agriculture feeds only Nepal.

Marigolds are an important part of Hindu rituals. (Credit: Simon Urwin)

“The only thing we export is young people,” says our guide Bikal. As the light dims and we plunge evermore rural, mysterious mounds of compacted hay – some house-sized – loom like the creatures from Where The Wild Things Are. Even our trusty driver gets flummoxed by a dirt road that abruptly ends and we find ourselves hurtling across a paddock.

On arrival, some are ferried to mud-walled cottages greened by gourd creepers, with thatched roofs and rustic-chic mosquito nets. Myself and two others are ushered to the home of corner store owner, mechanic and mushroom farmer Man Kumar Chilaruwa and his wife Rajkumari.

community homestay entrance — A warm welcome at a community homestay. (Credit: Simon Urwin)

They escort us to a bunker-esque back building with steel doors and a folding security gate, behind which is gleaming linoleum, dolphin-printed tiles and a shower cavity that must be gingerly stepped through to reach the toilet.

The ceiling lights emit a rainbow of colours (the bathroom light gets stuck in, frankly, a quite frightening red). We’re nevertheless touched that our hosts invested in all this bling when the average salary is around $275 a month.

In the coming days, we participate in Tharu traditions such as making moonshine, dancing, weaving straw handicrafts and gold-panning. We’re fed well with staples of rice, mustard greens, lentil pancakes, daal, curried chicken and tomato chutney served on antibacterial saal leaves.

food at community homestay — Dig in. (Credit: Kate Hennessy)

Sonara community homestay president Indradevi Tharu tells us river snails are often served, and the boiled and pickled flesh of rats hunted in the rice fields. “Perhaps next time?” we say and all have a laugh.

The power of community homestays

community homestay owners in Nepal — Barda community homestay owners Parbati Chaudhary and Ram Krishni Devi Chaudhary. (Credit: Simon Urwin)

Immersing Western visitors in foreign cultural practices is not new. But with the Tharu, I never get that uneasy sensation that I’m being performed for. Despite being the only tourists, there’s no ‘othering’; just warm, composed and ultra-dignified welcomes. Like we’ve always been here.

“I love to have travellers in my village so I can see the world,” says local woman Parbati Chaudhary. “Why would I travel the world when the world comes to me?”

The graceful acceptance the Tharu offer, as well as the slow pace, works miracles on my frazzled nervous system. One day I even take a nap on a vacant homestay bed.

Sonara community room — An authentic stay in the Sonara community. (Credit: Kate Hennessy)

Roosters strut and goats bray as we sit on the ground in al fresco kitchens, rolling rice flour into cylinders steamed to make dhikri (dumplings). When water is needed, we fetch it using a hand-operated pump as a family of ducks strolls by, side-eying us like curious neighbours.

Animal lovers will delight in Tharu villages. Kind and resourceful inventions are everywhere, such as snacking stations where two posts lean together, with leafy boughs dangling on rope for baby goats to forage from.

CHN’s CEO, Aayusha Prasain, nods knowingly when one in our group says she cried when she left her host, Shayam Chaudhary, in Bhada. Shayam’s 17-year-old son, Prashant, had translated, which deepened the connection.

“Community tourism turns travel into a relationship, not a transaction,” says Aayusha. “It places decision-making power in the hands of local communities, especially women and youth.” Since 2018, CHN has hosted more than 4000 travellers from 52 countries in 408 households, and estimates women’s participation has increased by 381 per cent.

In the Bardiya community, where vexing human-animal conflict has been a balancing act for decades due to elephants raiding crops, long-time homestay operator Salik Ram Chaudhary says young people keep the older ones on their toes.

“We can’t keep homestays stagnant,” he says. “We have to upgrade our service and redefine our product or young people won’t see it as an attractive business. If we can keep evolving with this travelling trend we’re confident the youths will stay and continue it.”

Back in Kathmandu, Monica explains that after the deaths of young protestors in September, a determination had spread to not let their sacrifice be in vain. “We want to keep holding the government accountable,” she says. “We don’t know what situation we’re facing, but we’re ready to face it.”

Interested in Nepal but prefer to experience it in total comfort? Read our guide to luxury travel in Nepal.

Is Jetstar Business Class from Sydney to Seoul worth it?

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.

Pre-departure

The seat

Food and beverage

Entertainment

Service

The verdict

Hanoi to Ha Long Bay: 3 unique ways to experience Northern Vietnam

This cruise along Japan’s coast visits volcanoes, temples and atomic bomb sites

How to make the most of 48 hours in Beijing

Indonesia, unfiltered: 3 destinations beyond Bali to put on your travel list

These community homestays are changing how travellers experience Nepal