A newlywed couple who were looking forward to a little getaway together after weeks of planning say they had their holiday completely ruined after their Jetstar flight was delayed for over seven hours.
Lisa Hines and her husband of two months, Trevor, were booked on a 1.15pm flight on December 17 from Canberra to Melbourne when the saga began. The couple had been living apart as Ms Hines was in New South Wales taking care of her mother-in-law full-time while her new spouse worked in Tasmania.
Ms Hines shared that the pair was set to attend a Keith Urban concert at Rod Laver Arena on the night they arrived in Melbourne, but at 1.45pm Jetstar announced their flight would be delayed "although the boards were all still saying now boarding".
Ms Hines said that a second announcement was made at 2.30pm, with Jetstar informing passengers that the flight would be boarding at 4.30pm. Then at 5.15pm, it was announced that the flight would not be leaving before 8.30pm, which meant the couple would miss the concert they'd paid $1,000 to attend, along with $400 spent on accommodation. Because the flight was delayed rather than cancelled, Ms Hines was advised that Jetstar would not provide any compensation, as per the airline's policy.
Jetstar slammed after passenger's 'ridiculous' 16-hour ordeal
Woman's 90-minute Jetstar flight replaced with 10-hour journey across Australia
Jetstar bungle causes chaos for Aussie couple's honeymoon to Bali
"Absolutely shattered, I have been looking forward to this for two years, I am a full-time live-in carer for my mother-in-law and am lucky to leave the premises once a month. Really needed this break, thanks Jetstar, you are an absolute joke. It literally took me six weeks to organise care for Mum just for this trip," Ms Hines posted on Facebook.
Ms Hines told Yahoo News Australia it was only after the third delay that Jetstar informed passengers there was an engineering problem. "If they had have said so straight away, we could have been on another flight," she said.
While some Facebook users told Ms Hines her experience is "a lesson learned" and that she should have booked the flight a day ahead to avoid delays, many others were sympathetic to her plight. "I can't believe they're allowed to get away with this nonsense. I had a 12-hour delay with them last week," a fellow Jetstar customer related.
"Last time our flight was delayed we were told as it was longer than a 3-hour delay we could either choose to get a refund or accept the flight change. Fight them for a refund. Sorry you missed the concert and your chance at some respite," one person suggested.
Ms Hines, however, addressed the issue about not flying a day earlier, explaining that it would cost a minimum amount of $700 a day to get another carer to take her place.
A spokesperson for Jetstar told Yahoo News Australia the airline is "really sorry that Mr and Mrs Hines missed their concert". "We tried everything to get them to Melbourne earlier. Unfortunately, the delay was caused by an issue with one of the toilets on the aircraft and Engineers had to be flown up from Melbourne to fix it.
"We know delays are really frustrating and given what happened to the Hines', we're reaching out to apologise and offer them a travel voucher."
Jetstar, on their website, have a customer guarantee for delays and cancellations on the day of departure, stating that if they "have confirmed a delay of more than 45 minutes" and if they are "aware of the delay or cancellation more than two hours before the scheduled departure time", they will advise travellers or their agents via SMS. If the flight is cancelled, Jetstar is committed to "offering alternative transport arrangements to get you to your destination at no additional cost to you, usually on the next available Jetstar flight before or after your booked flight."
The airline adds that if they fail to meet this commitment, they would provide passengers with a $50 Jetstar voucher. The guarantee, however, does not commit to providing compensation or vouchers for delayed flights.
New data has revealed Aussie travellers have experienced some of the worst rates of delays and cancellations in almost 20 years. In October, Jetstar was the worst performing in terms of on-time performance, with only 61.6 per cent of its flights leaving on time, and 64.4 per cent landing on time, according to data from the Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics (BITRE).
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.
It's fair to say the controversial move has raised a few eyebrows.
Over the Christmas period, Ronald Gene Simmons, 47, killed 16 people. What made him snap?
The popular emoji might be seen as passive aggressive. Find out why and what others might not be as work-friendly as you thought.
The dog's critical injuries were 'avoidable with proper education' experts warn. Here's what you should know.
Heavy snow in large swathes of Japan has killed 17 and injured more than 90 people, and left hundreds of homes without power, disaster management officials said Monday.Powerful winter fronts have dumped heavy snow in northern regions since last week, stranding hundreds of vehicles on highways, delaying delivery services and causing 11 deaths by Saturday.
A British woman living in the Sunshine Coast recalled the stressful thing that happened to her on Christmas Eve and how an Australian family helped her out.
Video footage shows thousands celebrating Christmas at Bronte Beach
Traumatised motorists in Perth are seen swerving away from the man. Watch the video here.
Mask-wearing Beijing and Shanghai commuters have crowded subway trains with China's two biggest cities moving closer to living with COVID-19, as millions have been infected with the virus across the country.After years of ruthless anti-coronavirus curbs, President Xi Jinping scrapped the country's zero-COVID policy in the face of protests and a widening outbreak.
The ashes of a Fijian professor who lived in exile in Australia for more than a decade will be allowed to return home after the swearing in of Fiji's new prime minister.Sitiveni Rabuka provided assurances the Fijian Immigration Department would facilitate Dr Padma Lal's return with the ashes of her late husband Professor Brij Lal so he could be buried in Tabia, where he was born.
Iran's Supreme Court has confirmed a death sentence handed down last month to a 32-year-old man in connection with the anti-regime protests in Iran while revising another decision.The 32-year-old was alleged to have run over six police officers in November.
Vets have warned of a major threat to the well-being of Australian pets during the festive season.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has backed penalty rates for employees who work on public holidays.Mr Albanese took to Twitter on Boxing Day to voice his support for workers.
Australia's southern states are enjoying a mostly warm and sunny Christmas Day but heavy rain and storms have dampened celebrations in the north.People have flocked to beaches or cranked up backyard barbecues to enjoy the balmy weather but elsewhere others face anxious times due to past rains.
An arctic blast gripping much of the United States has left more than 700,000 without power, at least 16 dead from weather-related car crashes and thousands stranded due to flight cancellations.Plummeting temperatures were expected to bring the coldest Christmas Eve on record, and energy systems across the country were strained by rising demand for heat and storm-related damage to transmission lines.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has defended his country's position on the war in Ukraine and signalled that China would deepen ties with Russia in the coming year.Wang, speaking by video to a conference in the Chinese capital, also blamed the United States for the deterioration in relations between the world's two largest economies, saying China has "firmly rejected the United States' erroneous China policy".
A plane that went missing in the Northern Territory over Christmas has crashed in remote bushland, killing a man and woman.Police and investigators are working to access the crash scene after a single-engined light aircraft missing in Arnhem Land was located in dense bushland near Bulman.
The most wonderful time of the year can also be the busiest as people juggle shopping, socialising and relaxing.But for many Australians living with a disability, the holiday season also poses an additional challenge to ensure they have access to and funding for the support services they need.
A teenager has drowned and two other men have been hospitalised after running into trouble in dangerous surf.The three were bodysurfing at Cumberland River Beach, just south of Lorne on Victoria's Surf Coast when one got into difficulty just before 6pm on Sunday night.
Recalling Jesus's birth in a stable, Pope Francis has rebuked those "ravenous" for wealth and power at the expense of the vulnerable, including children, in a Christmas Eve homily decrying war, poverty and greedy consumerism.The Pope presided over the evening Mass in St Peter's Basilica, attended by about 7000 faithful, including tourists and pilgrims.
02 8005 6525
info@aktengineering.com.au
Recent Comments