Jetstar Delays/Cancellations

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Jetstar Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

After documenting their efforts (times, dates, to whom they spoke to and so on), they could contact:

Eligibility

A letter is better than an email. Of course JQ may merely say that the passengers agreed to the terms and conditions of the ticket. This may include what the agreement says about what will occur in the event of Acts of God.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Re: General Jetstar Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

After documenting their efforts (times, dates, to whom they spoke to and so on), they could contact:

Eligibility

A letter is better than an email. Of course JQ may merely say that the passengers agreed to the terms and conditions of the ticket. This may include what the agreement says about what will occur in the event of Acts of God.

Thanks. Well.. I know to tell them not to go to the ACA if they want a refund! This is a cancellation beyond the airline's control... and the ACA points to the customer charter.

 

[smit0847]

Re: General Jetstar Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Honestly....

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Re: General Jetstar Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Honestly....

They have a point!

Friends of ours are flying JQ to Bali and they just aren't getting much satisfaction from the airline. The airline has refused a refund... will only confirm travel for next week, or possibly some sort of stand-by for a relief flight.

Now I can understand JQ is saying this is outside their control... but there are potentially limits to that side of the argument. While it may have been true for the initial disruption last month... it certainly isn't now.

JQ is continuing to sell tickets for flights it knows it may not be able to operate if the volcano continues. This is not a 'new' or 'unforeseen' event. They have made a commercial decision to continue selling tickets and operating the route.

There should be, in my opinion, some leeway to allow passengers to cancel and receive a full refund.

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Jetstar Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Interestingly GA appears to be flying in and out of DPS this morning, including a flight coming from China.

While I understand the viewpoint that safety comes first, that conservatism is best in such situations (as one AFF moderator put it) and no one wants 200 funerals to have to suddenly occur, one has to again pose the question: is it fair any longer to imply that GA is 'reckless' and that it regards human life as 'less important' than JQ and VA, or is there the at least slight whiff of something akin to the nannystateism that we see so much of in Oz these days in the Australian airlines' decision not to fly to and from DPS?

If GA assesses the level of risk as manageable whether for short or long haul flights and it's the leading local airline with years of experience flying to, from and around Indonesia's 18000 islands, isn't there an argument that the Australian airlines (with far less coughulative experience in number of flights to Indonesia) ought to at least consider whether to take their lead from GA?

I have no interest in flying to or from DPS, but thousands of others do.

I agree with MEL_Traveller that JQ (and VA) ought be giving travellers full refunds. Plainly they can't deliver a contracted service within a reasonable timeframe, irrespective as to what the fine print in their tickets and conditions of carriage says about passengers not being guaranteed transport on the booked day of travel.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Re: General Jetstar Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Interestingly GA appears to be flying in and out of DPS this morning, including a flight coming from China.

While I understand the viewpoint that safety comes first, that conservatism is best in such situations (as one AFF moderator put it) and no one wants 200 funerals to have to suddenly occur, one has to again pose the question: is it fair any longer to imply that GA is 'reckless' and that it regards human life as 'less important' than JQ and VA, or is there the at least slight whiff of something akin to the nannystateism that we see so much of in Oz these days in the Australian airlines' decision not to fly to and from DPS?

If GA assesses the level of risk as manageable whether for short or long haul flights and it's the leading local airline with years of experience flying to, from and around Indonesia's 18000 islands, isn't there an argument that the Australian airlines (with far less coughulative experience in number of flights to Indonesia) ought to at least consider whether to take their lead from GA?

I have no interest in flying to or from DPS, but thousands of others do.

There are many factors involved here. As mentioned over on the 'Ask the Pilot' thread (I think it's on the last page or so)... the fact that GA (and others) might be flying does not indicate they are 'reckless'... just that they have different opportunities to respond to, and manage, the situation.

If DPS airport is open even for a short window, GA planes on the ground may be able to depart at short notice. Aussie airlines can't do that... they have a good 6 hours flying time to get there first (by which time the conditions might have changed again).

Additionally, and i just thought of this now... presumably GA (and others) have alternative airports they can fly to in the event conditions deteriorate. If they can't make DPS they can fly to CGK (or whatever)... and wait there until it's safe to fly. If the delay is extended, they will have extensive ground support to find hotels if necessary. Aussie airlines would, I assume, find that more difficult. A jetstar flight diverting to CGK would present a few problems (hotels, crew availability etc etc).

Our friends noted that several european airlines are also flying into/out of DPS... so not necessarily that it's only GA taking those actions. (Although some Euro flights into DPS are tag-flights... again I suppose they are able to take advantage of short windows to get their planes in and out.)

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Jetstar Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Why can't JQ and VA just fly to LOP - it's an international airport - and somehow get their crews across to it, and arrange ground support with local staff?

Difficult, perhaps, but it'd be a huge help to thousands of travellers.

 

[smit0847]

Re: General Jetstar Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Are there any JQ or VA planes stranded at DPS now?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Re: General Jetstar Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Why can't JQ and VA just fly to LOP - it's an international airport - and somehow get their crews across to it, and arrange ground support with local staff?

Difficult, perhaps, but it'd be a huge help to thousands of travellers.

I don't think it's practical. How do you organise hotels, at short notice, for 300 people (times however many separate flights there are). How do you get crews across? Would you expect them to take a ferry?

I think passengers have accepted there is a risk due to the volcano. Where it gets frustrating is when the airline won't let you cancel and get a refund.

 

[pauly7]

Re: General Jetstar Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Gosh imagine if Tiger had already taken over all VA's Bali routes and their 'customer service' was trying to deal with this.... Scary thought! Suddenly make JQ customer service look premium!

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Re: General Jetstar Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Gosh imagine if Tiger had already taken over all VA's Bali routes and their 'customer service' was trying to deal with this.... Scary thought! Suddenly make JQ customer service look premium!

While this remains to be seen... as a lay-person I would now expect Tiger's customer service to come in line with Virgin's! Certainly Virgin will be happy for the general public to have that impression. Whether or not it translates remains to be seen.

 

[Himeno]

Re: General Jetstar Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

The problem is that the ash cloud is forecast to be surface to FL140. If the flight is due in/out of the airport at a time the cloud is forecast to be there, then they can't land/take off.
Volcanic Ash Graphics

This is different to when there was ash from Chile over Australia a few years ago where it was possible to fly under the cloud.

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Jetstar Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

JQ8 this morning into MEL ex SIN is almost three hours late and should be at the gate just before 0940, being operated by B788 VH-VKF.

Extra due to ash cloud rectifying itself JQ7035 has been delayed from its proposed 0650 MEL departure for DPS; while shown as forecast to depart at 0910 it has not yet done so.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Re: General Jetstar Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

JQ8 this morning into MEL ex SIN is almost three hours late and should be at the gate just before 0940, being operated by B788 VH-VKF.

Extra due to ash cloud rectifying itself JQ7035 has been delayed from its proposed 0650 MEL departure for DPS; while shown as forecast to depart at 0910 it has not yet done so.

Now showing as 'on the way'. We have some friends of friends on the flight... were originally given a Thursday departure, so this is slightly better.

They would have liked a refund, but not allowed.

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Jetstar Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Once again JQ has cancelled a Perth bound flight, this time the 1030 today, JQ968 from MEL and its return JQ971 that is normally due back in MEL at 1900 hours.

There is a lag between passengers booking and the day of the floight but JQ ought to permanently alter its schedules if, like QF it is finding that demand for transcontinental flights has dropped.

Unfortunately few AFFers appear to fly on JQ but it would be interesting to know how long it takes these passengers to get to or from PER.

JQ7 from MEL to SIN today has also been cancelled.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Re: General Jetstar Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Once again JQ has cancelled a Perth bound flight, this time the 1030 today, JQ968 from MEL and its return JQ971 that is normally due back in MEL at 1900 hours.

There is a lag between passengers booking and the day of the floight but JQ ought to permanently alter its schedules if, like QF it is finding that demand for transcontinental flights has dropped.

Unfortunately few AFFers appear to fly on JQ but it would be interesting to know how long it takes these passengers to get to or from PER.

JQ7 from MEL to SIN today has also been cancelled.

jetstar's customer charter says this:

At Jetstar we never cancel flights on the day of departure for commercial reasons, or when we have not sold enough seats.

 

[Comoman]

Re: General Jetstar Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

jetstar's customer charter says this:

Hahaha - what BS! I had (my only) Jetstar flight cancelled "for operational reasons" with 45 mins notice. Next flight was 4 hours away.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Re: General Jetstar Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Hahaha - what BS! I had (my only) Jetstar flight cancelled "for operational reasons" with 45 mins notice. Next flight was 4 hours away.

'operational' is different from 'commercial'.

 

[Comoman]

Re: General Jetstar Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

'operational' is different from 'commercial'.

So plane lands from Sydney to Gold Coast. People get off, crew get off. No bags loaded etc. 4 hours later same plane flies back to Sydney (which it should have done previously but was cancelled).

No engineering issue.

Sounds like operational is a nom de plume for commercial to me.....

 

[Awesom Andy]

Re: General Jetstar Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

So plane lands from Sydney to Gold Coast. People get off, crew get off. No bags loaded etc. 4 hours later same plane flies back to Sydney (which it should have done previously but was cancelled).

No engineering issue.

Sounds like operational is a nom de plume for commercial to me.....

Could be a crew issue?