Background Information.

Qantas Jetconnect can trace its origin back to the collapse of Tasman Pacific Airlines (a Qantas franchise carrier operating as Qantas New Zealand) on April 21, 2001. Within days of it ceasing operations Qantas Airways Australia had ferried a few Boeing 737-300s to New Zealand to provide a skeleton services for those passengers who had pre-purchased tickets with Qantas New Zealand. Qantas Australia took this inititive to ensure that its name was not dragged down by the failed franchise carrier. Long-term plans were then formulated to resolve the overall situation.

By July 2002 Qantas Airways had formed a new company named JetConnect to operate domestic services in New Zealand under its own AOC. It commenced operations in October 2002.

The original fleet of Boeing 737-300 airframes were obtained from two sources, four were leased from Ansett Worldwide Aviation Services while others were drawn from the Qantas Airways mainline fleet in Australia.

Various airframes have been rolled over in favour of others since its start-up. Newer Boeing 737-400s were added to the fleet from Qantas as some of the Boeing 737-300s were transferred back to Australia for conversion to pure freighter aircraft for Express Freighters Australia, a Qantas company that supplies freight aircraft to Australian air Express.

Jetconnect also operated some trans-Tasman services between New Zealand and Australia under the Qantas brand. It employed flight and cabin crews based in New Zealand and operated aircraft registered in New Zealand. It also operated domestic services within New Zealand until these services were taken over by Jetstar Airways, another Qantas subsidiary on June 10, 2009. Its main base was Auckland Airport.

Jetconnect also employed long haul cabin crew who operated some Qantas mainline long haul services from Australia. These crews were based in Auckland. From the first half of 2014 they began operating on selected Qantas mainline Boeing 737-800 trans-Tasman services under a 'partial base integration' initiative.