Perth, Oct 6: Jetstar has launched a Japan and South Korea sale offering eligible return Starter fares for $0, while a separate app developed by Flinders University researchers aims to help travellers manage the sleep disruption of overseas trips.
The airline says 14,000 free return fares are available to customers who purchase an eligible outbound Starter fare to Seoul, Osaka or Tokyo for selected travel dates between May and July 2027.
Outbound fares start at $449 from Cairns to Osaka, $469 from Brisbane to Seoul, $479 from Cairns to Tokyo and $569 from Sydney to Osaka. The offer applies to selected flights and dates, subject to availability and sale conditions.
Club Jetstar members receive early access from midday AEDT on October 6, with public access opening at midnight AEDT that night. The sale closes at 11.59pm AEDT on October 9, unless sold out earlier.
Jetstar executive manager customer and digital Prue McKenzie said Japan and South Korea remained popular destinations among the airline’s customers.
“Japan and South Korea are two of our customers’ most-loved international holiday spots, and with the return flight free, travellers can make their holiday go a lot further.”
Beyond choosing flights, travellers also face the challenge of adjusting their sleep to a different time zone.
Flinders University sleep and circadian scientists Professor Sean Cain and Professor Andrew Phillips have developed The Jetlag Fix with Circadian Health Innovations, offering personalised travel plans on iOS and Android devices.
The app uses flight details, usual sleep times and preferred sleep duration to recommend when travellers should seek light, avoid light and try to sleep before, during and after their journey.
“Light is the strongest signal that resets the body clock, and light at the wrong time – even natural light – can make jetlag much worse,” said Cain, from the Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute.
Cain said jetlag involved both the time needed for the body clock to adjust and travel fatigue associated with poor sleep around flights.
The app’s computational model produces a “Jetlag Pain Score” out of 100 to estimate a trip’s biological impact. According to the developers, travellers can compare the predicted impact of following their personalised plan and track their estimated adjustment to the destination’s time zone.
Phillips said generic advice could be unhelpful because the timing of light exposure needed to suit each journey.
“Standard generic advice about overcoming jetlag – such as getting some morning sunlight – is often a coin flip as to whether it helps or hinders jetlag adaptation,” he said.
The researchers say departure times and connecting flights can also affect jetlag, meaning different itineraries between the same destinations may require different sleep and light schedules.
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