Regional Australian airline JetGo has entered voluntary administration, suspending all commercial passenger flights as of 1 June 2018.
JetGo customers with existing flight bookings may be entitled to a refund by initiating a credit card chargeback. If the refund is unsuccessful, JetGo’s administrator advises that customers can lodge a “Proof of Debt” claim.
For customers with bookings in the immediate future, both Qantas and Virgin Australia have set up hotlines to assist passengers with alternative flight options. Details are available on JetGo’s website.
The Brisbane-based airline commenced operations in 2012. At the time of entering voluntary administration it operated flights on 10 regional routes, including Brisbane-Albury and Gold Coast-Rockhampton. The airline also recently began operating flights from Wollongong to Melbourne and Brisbane, and had plans for a service from Brisbane to Singapore via Karratha. The Brisbane-Karratha leg of this service was due to commence in just four weeks.
None of JetGo’s routes are served by any other airlines. So the suspension of JetGo flights will hit regional communities such as Wollongong, Rockhampton and Dubbo especially hard. JetGo was also one of just a small handful of regional airlines to operate from Melbourne’s Essendon Airport, which is closer to the CBD than the nearby Tullamarine Airport.
The airline had developed somewhat of a reputation for its poor on-time performance. As a regional airline with just six small Embraer jets, simple maintenance issues often caused lengthy delays and cancellations. Some of these have been documented over the years in AFF’s JetGo Delays/Cancellations thread.
But it would seem the airline is also in a lot of debt. On 15 May, Dubbo Regional Council commenced legal action against JetGo relating to more than $270,000 owed by the airline. It has since emerged that other councils are also owed money. Had JetGo not entered into voluntary administration today, it may have been forced by the courts to wind up in a few weeks anyway.
Join the discussion on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum: Jetgo in a bit of trouble?
