Jetstar’s first A320neo arrives in Australia from the Airbus factory in France

Budget airline Jetstar has an expensive new toy, and it could be the next aircraft to take you on holiday.

The company’s first A320neo has arrived in Australia after a three-day mission from the Airbus factory in Toulouse, France.

A team of three people flew it from Toulouse to Muscat, then Kuala Lumpur and Melbourne where it touched down earlier this week.

The A320neo (New Engine Option) promises a quieter, more fuel-efficient journey but don’t expect too many extra creature comforts on board.

The seats are marginally wider but offer an inch less legroom in front. This is offset somewhat by the new slimline seat design that provides more room at knee-height.

On an exclusive tour of the aircraft at Melbourne Airport, Jetstar captain Chris Bacskos said the aircraft is a great one to fly.

“In the flight deck we’ve got an upgrade to software and systems, so it allows pilots to make the safest decisions,” he explained.

One of those systems, he said, is a Runway Overrun program that calculates the length of the runway remaining on landing, plus the weight of the aircraft, and warns the pilots if their braking is not sufficient to stop in time.

The A320neo’s engines are claimed by Airbus to be 20 per cent more fuel efficient. On board, the overhead storage bins are about 40 per cent bigger.

They’ve squeezed 188 seats onto this jet, which — depending on the model — is two or eight more than the current Jetstar A320.

Jetstar’ engineering project manager Sophie Dawson said each seat has charging ports.

“You can charge a laptop, so we’ve got USB-C and USB-A available on every seat all the way through the cabin,” she said.

However there is no WiFi internet connection — Jetstar claims the business case doesn’t add up for such a leisure-based airline. Jetstar’s paid in-flight entertainment service will be available to stream on personal devices.

The aircraft will operate to domestic cities such as Melbourne and Sydney, Launceston and Adelaide.

It will be staffed by flight attendants who look different from today. Jetstar’s new aircraft co-incides with a new uniform for its more than 5,000 employees in Australia and throughout Asia.

Gone is the black that lasted 20 years on the previous uniform, instead bright orange and blue catch the eye.

Fashion designer Genevieve Smart designed the new outfits.

“They’re actually opposite colours on the colour wheel,” she said.

“There’s a lot of energy with orange and blue so that’s the freshness.”

Reaction from staff was mixed at Gold Coast Airport, where the uniform was officially launched.

One check-in agent muffled the words “bus seats” when asked what they thought of the striking new design.

Another said they worried they might be too hot in the tropical heat of South-East Queensland.

Some cabin crew loved the new look, saying after 20 years of wearing black they were glad to be in something new.

It seems to be a subjective choice that’s already turning heads!