JetSmart

JetSmart is an ultra-low-cost carrier built around Chile, with a growing footprint in Argentina, Peru and Colombia. The model is the familiar one: a low headline fare, then a menu of paid extras for bags, seat selection and anything else you might want on board. If you travel light and pick your seat with a plan, the fares are hard to beat across South America.

The fleet is all Airbus narrowbody and all single-class. There is no business cabin and no premium economy to weigh up, which keeps the choice simple: it comes down to which row in a standard economy layout suits your flight. The airline leans on its newer A320neo and A321neo jets for the busier and longer domestic and regional runs.

JetSmart flies the A320 family in a dense single-class fit. The A320 and A320neo cover most of the network, and the larger A321neo carries more passengers on the busiest routes and the longer regional hops into Peru and Colombia. Every aircraft is laid out in a standard three-by-three economy cabin from the front bulkhead to the rear galley.

The neo aircraft are the quieter, newer members of the fleet and turn up more often on the flagship city pairs. Whichever variant you draw, the seat product is the same low-cost economy seat, so your decision is about position in the cabin rather than a step up in class.

The cabin is no-frills economy, and JetSmart does not pretend otherwise. Seats are slim with a fixed or limited recline, spacing is tight, and food and drink are bought on board rather than included. The trade-off is a very low fare, which is the whole point of the airline.

Comfort on the day comes down to where you sit. The front of the cabin boards and clears fastest, the middle rides most smoothly, and the rear sits closest to the galley and toilets. Paying to pick a seat is worth it on the longer regional flights if a specific spot matters to you; on a short domestic hop it is easier to take what you are given.

The extra-legroom rows near the exits are the seats most worth paying for, especially if you are tall or flying one of the longer routes. They carry noticeably more space than a standard row for a modest fee. Bulkhead seats at the front give a fast exit but no under-seat storage for the leg by the wall.

For a smoother ride, aim for a row over the wing rather than at the tail, where movement is more noticeable. The last few rows sit by the rear galley and toilets and draw the most foot traffic, so skip them if you can. On a busy flight, a window seat toward the front is the calmest low-cost pick.