Review: GetJet Airlines - Can I Trust It?
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We flew from Helsinki to Stockholm on GetJet Airlines. Read from the review, if we are ready to board the airline again.
Covered in the Article
What is GetJet?
GetJet Airlines is a Lithuanian airline founded in 2013. It does not have its route network but it operates for other airlines. Leasing a plane with crew is called wet-leasing. The airline leases not only the aircraft but the whole crew operating it. The wet-leasing airline provides pilots, cabin crew, maintenance and even flight certificates. However, all airport service fees are usually paid by the client.
GetJet Airlines is also a charter operator. A few tour operators have GetJet as their holiday carrier. For example, Matkavekka from Finland is a charter customer of GetJet.
GetJet is not the first charter operator coming from Lithuania. For some reason, these kinds of companies come and go in Lithuania. An explanation can be, that Lithuania does not have anymore its national carrier after flyLAL's bankruptcy. Still, we believe, that there are many skilled people in Lithuania's aviation sector.
Why Do Airlines Hire Planes from GetJet?
There are multiple reasons why some airlines hire aircraft from GetJet. The most common reason is that they are not able to operate some of their flights themselves. Airlines may have a lack of aircraft, pilots or cabin crew. Usually, this kind of situation comes fast when an aircraft gets broken or the airline's crew are not able to work. Then, the only solution is to hire an aircraft with a crew if a cancellation is not an option.
Quite often, lease agreements are short-term but also long-term lease agreements can be made. For example, Norwegian Air Shuttle has been using GetJet Airlines for already long time. Norwegian's Boeing 737-MAX planes are still grounded and the company is lacking aircraft to operate some of their particular routes. As a temporary solution to this, they have ended up renting wet-lease planes from GetJet.
Fleet of GetJet
The fleet of GetJet Airlines is old. The airline is still operating Boeing 737 Classic series aircraft that are almost 30 years old. The airline has also Airbus A319, A320 and A330 planes but they are not new either. Their average age is about 20 years. The Airbus A319 and A330 aircraft are a little newer being only about 10 years old.
Shortly said, all GetJet's flights are operated with an old fleet.
Is GetJet Airlines Safe?
Oftentimes, the first question that comes to mind is: ¨Is GetJet Airlines safe?¨ Unfortunately, no one can answer, but we can give some background details.
It is impossible to evaluate statistically if GetJet is safe. GetJet is a young airline and it has only a few aircraft so there is not enough statistical data to make reliable evaluations. The airline has not had any fatal accidents which is a good thing. But it does not prove that the airline is safe.
On the other hand, many good airlines like Norwegian and Finnair are using GetJet's services. We bet GetJet's clients have high safety requirements. Most likely, GetJet does everything to meet these standards.
We flew with GetJet from Helsinki to Stockholm and we were not worried about their safety. The airline is still operating inside the EU where high safety standards for all airlines need to be fulfilled. However, we must remember that this airline is considered young but fast developing. And said factors may pose some risks.
Safety Audit
GetJet Airlines has passed IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) in 2018. IOSA is an internationally recognized evaluation system to verify that the operational management and control systems of an airline are good enough. A successful audit is valid for 2 years because the standards are developing all the time. Currently, more than 200 airlines have passed this audit.
Our GetJet Experience
In the summer 2019, we flew from Helsinki to Krakow via Stockholm. The flight was marketed by Norwegian Air Shuttle but the first leg from Helsinki to Stockholm was operated by GetJet Airlines. Norwegian has had challenges operating all routes after their MAX planes were grounded. Not many wet-lease companies exist so Norwegian has ended up using GetJet.
The flight was operated with a Boeing 737-300 Classic plane. The plane was 21 years old which was easy to see. It was also painted white and the cabin was boring and simple. Despite these minor things, the flight from Helsinki to Stockholm went well and it was eventless.
Rating
The rating is based on our GetJet experiences.
Friendliness of the Crew
East European cabin crew attending this flight were professional and friendly. Pilots gave also many informative speeches and sounded relaxed. We have nothing bad to say about the crew's behaviours. The cabin crew made also safety demonstrations and safety checks well according to GetJet's policies.
Aircraft
The aircraft got only 1 star from us. It was old. The Cabin was filled with so tight seats that there was barely space, especially for the legs. This is especially challenging for tall passengers. Luckily, the flight lasted only 1 hour.
The cabin didn't have any kind of entertainment.
On-board Services
The flight was marketed by Norwegian Air Shuttle and it had Norwegian's onboard service. However, the flight lasted less than 1 hour so the service procedures were made fast.
We didn't give any rating for this area, because GetJet just followed Norwegian's directions.
Overall Rating
The flight was eventless and the cabin crew were friendly. The crew carried out their functions professionally.
However, the aircraft was old and uncomfortable so we can't give any better overall rating.
Common Questions
- What is GetJet Airlines?
- GetJet Airlines is a charter airline from Lithuania. It is also a wet-lease operator for many airlines.
- Is GetJet Airlines safe?
- No one can promise that they are safe. The aviation industry in the EU is heavily regulated, so we expect them to do a careful job. However, they are also a young airline with an old fleet that may pose some risks.
- Which aircraft types does GetJet operate?
- Boeing 737 Classic, Airbus A319, A320 and A330.
- What is GetJet's route network like?
- The airline has no route network. It is a charter operator. It also wet-leases aircraft to other airlines.
- Has GetJet had many accidents?
- So far, they have not had any fatal accidents. Let us hope that the good record stays.
- Where to buy GetJet's tickets?
- GetJet Airlines is a charter airline so it does not sell tickets itself. In general, we recommend comparing flight prices on Skycanner. It finds the prices of many booking sites.
Is GetJet a Good Choice?
At least, GetJet Airlines is not a bad choice. As long as the aircraft is that old and the seat pitch is too small, we can't recommend flying long flights with GetJet. Having short legs with them is okay.
If you are worried about safety, it is good to remember that the aviation industry is heavily regulated and supervised by the EU. No one can guarantee that a single flight will be safe but we hadn't any fear of flying with GetJet. Their professionalism was a good sign.
Bottom Line
Don't be surprised if your favourite airline is using GetJet to operate some of its routes. If you are unwilling to board GetJet, marketing airlines usually allow you to change tickets free of charge when the operator changes. GetJet Airlines may also be a new experience for you. You can fly with older plane types that are uncommon nowadays. An old plane is safe as long as it has a good service history.
Have you flown with GetJet Airlines? Comment your GetJet experiences down!
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