Simsy85
Member
- Joined
- Oct 5, 2010
- Posts
- 425
Ok so I need to vent and see if I'm being rightly annoyed or should I just get over it?
As some of you know i've been in Vietnam recently and the other night I was returning from Ho Chi Minh to Darwin. I was on a Jetstar flight (JQ not 3K or anything like that). I understand and agree that it is NOT a OneWorld carrier.
I arrived at the airport ok and was wondering if there was a OneWorld lounge in the airport and if there was, flying J* would I be allowed in. Not being able to make sense of anything on the OneWorld website which simply states there is a lounge there, I called the Premium Desk to ask them. Being an international call, I was pleased they answered right away and didn't keep me on hold. I asked them the question. The bloke on the phone said he was positive it was ok, he just had to check with the boss to make sure. I waited on hold for about 60 seconds, which he came back and confirmed that yes, I can use the lounge, even though i'm flying J*, but that unlike other lounges, I could only bring in one guest, not two.
Happy with this, I proceeded to check in. Handed over my WP card with my Passport and she entered it seperately and wrote something down, ended up handing me an express ticket for security screening. At this stage I was pretty happy. I arrived at the lounge, which was conveniently located next to the gate I was leaving from, only to be looked at like scum and told that "No the only way I was getting in was paying $30US".
I explained to him that I was a QFF and Jetstar we're part of Qantas. He told me he knew very well who Jetstar were, but they aren't a oneworld Lounge and as such my Emerald status means diddly squat to them. Hearing this I unpolitely told him where to go and headed off to the public waiting area.
Part II
On the plane, I was suffering quite badly from a cold and had a mild fever. The result was I was sweating quite badly, but freezing my cough off. I got up and asked the FA was it cold or was it just me, to which she replied "oh no the temp inside the plane is set to 20 degrees" I asked her "isn't that a little low for a late night flight" to which she responded "I guess, but if I put it up people will complain". I then told her that I was suffering quite badly from a mild fever and were there any blankets on board to which she responded "Certainly Sir, for $7 you get a blanket, eye mask and ear plugs". At this point I was wondering if the 20 degrees had anything to do with her desire to sell more blanket packs, but I grudgingly told her I'd take one.
That's when it got interesting. As I handed over a 200,000 VND note (roughly $10) to pay (being a Vietnam flight they take Vietnam currency - or at least did on the way over) she tells me "I'm sorry sir, we dont accept cash". to which my response was "Since when?" to which she told me, "for some time now". I proceeded to tell her, that, that was funny, I caught a Jetstar flight to Vietnam only 4 days earlier and they took cash then, to which she looked at me coldly and said "Yes, well, policies change", I said "What, overnight? with no notice?" She then offered to charge my Credit Card which I declinded because I wanted to get rid of my VND (no use in Australia).
Now doesn't this strike you as weird? Even if I'd had Australian Currency, they wouldn't accept it (my travelling companion tried). I thought there was a general principle of **You must accept legal tender up to specific limits** yet Jetstar have chosen to ignore this? What gives?
Am I just being a grumpy old bugger (even though i'm actully not old at all..)
Or should I just chalk it up to flying Jetstar and ignore the fact the Premium Desk assured me it was ok....?
As some of you know i've been in Vietnam recently and the other night I was returning from Ho Chi Minh to Darwin. I was on a Jetstar flight (JQ not 3K or anything like that). I understand and agree that it is NOT a OneWorld carrier.
I arrived at the airport ok and was wondering if there was a OneWorld lounge in the airport and if there was, flying J* would I be allowed in. Not being able to make sense of anything on the OneWorld website which simply states there is a lounge there, I called the Premium Desk to ask them. Being an international call, I was pleased they answered right away and didn't keep me on hold. I asked them the question. The bloke on the phone said he was positive it was ok, he just had to check with the boss to make sure. I waited on hold for about 60 seconds, which he came back and confirmed that yes, I can use the lounge, even though i'm flying J*, but that unlike other lounges, I could only bring in one guest, not two.
Happy with this, I proceeded to check in. Handed over my WP card with my Passport and she entered it seperately and wrote something down, ended up handing me an express ticket for security screening. At this stage I was pretty happy. I arrived at the lounge, which was conveniently located next to the gate I was leaving from, only to be looked at like scum and told that "No the only way I was getting in was paying $30US".
I explained to him that I was a QFF and Jetstar we're part of Qantas. He told me he knew very well who Jetstar were, but they aren't a oneworld Lounge and as such my Emerald status means diddly squat to them. Hearing this I unpolitely told him where to go and headed off to the public waiting area.
Part II
On the plane, I was suffering quite badly from a cold and had a mild fever. The result was I was sweating quite badly, but freezing my cough off. I got up and asked the FA was it cold or was it just me, to which she replied "oh no the temp inside the plane is set to 20 degrees" I asked her "isn't that a little low for a late night flight" to which she responded "I guess, but if I put it up people will complain". I then told her that I was suffering quite badly from a mild fever and were there any blankets on board to which she responded "Certainly Sir, for $7 you get a blanket, eye mask and ear plugs". At this point I was wondering if the 20 degrees had anything to do with her desire to sell more blanket packs, but I grudgingly told her I'd take one.
That's when it got interesting. As I handed over a 200,000 VND note (roughly $10) to pay (being a Vietnam flight they take Vietnam currency - or at least did on the way over) she tells me "I'm sorry sir, we dont accept cash". to which my response was "Since when?" to which she told me, "for some time now". I proceeded to tell her, that, that was funny, I caught a Jetstar flight to Vietnam only 4 days earlier and they took cash then, to which she looked at me coldly and said "Yes, well, policies change", I said "What, overnight? with no notice?" She then offered to charge my Credit Card which I declinded because I wanted to get rid of my VND (no use in Australia).
Now doesn't this strike you as weird? Even if I'd had Australian Currency, they wouldn't accept it (my travelling companion tried). I thought there was a general principle of **You must accept legal tender up to specific limits** yet Jetstar have chosen to ignore this? What gives?
Am I just being a grumpy old bugger (even though i'm actully not old at all..)
Or should I just chalk it up to flying Jetstar and ignore the fact the Premium Desk assured me it was ok....?
