Jetstar experience to Phuket

[gearbox]

I flew in with Jetstar to Phuket a few days ago, here are some observations:

 

* They advertise many flights from Melbourne and Sydney (pretty much daily flights), as soon as they collect enough receipts that shrinks to 1-2 flights per week Sydney and Melbourne combined. The rest of the flights get cancelled, and the Sydney bookings rerouted via Melbourne or vice versa. My flights were cancelled twice, people at the check in queues complained that they had more than 2 cancellations.

 

* If you have an international reservation which includes a domestic leg you would expect the initial departure point to check in your baggage which you would see at your final destination, and get your boarding passes too. No such thing with Jetstar - you need to collect your luggage at the next leg, and check it in again. I was rerouted via Melbourne and had to pick up my oversized 30kg bag, and run as mad to the international terminal as the domestic flight was delayed 1 hour.

 

* At the check in Melbourne I was denied boarding as I don't have an outbound flight before my yearly non-o retirement extension expires in June. They told me this is a "new requirement" although I know this is BS and Thais don't require return flight from non-immigration visa holders. I was forced to buy throwaway outbound flight "in the next 10 minutes" which was quite stressful.

 

My verdict: Avoid them like a plague. I managed to do it for number of years but had to take them this time in order to get 50 kg baggage moved. Hopefully AirAsia resumes their usual schedule soon.

[RJRS1301]

They are known as DeathStar for a reason.

 budget airline, expect budget service, well no service really

Old saying "Ya get what ya pay for".

 

[Lacessit]

I have an expired travel voucher for $840 with them after they cancelled my flight in August 2020 due to COVID. I have kept every exchange of correspondence with them, which will be attached to the complaint I make to the ACCC.

 

No other way to put it, Jetstar are thieves committing business fraud with many customers. I'll never be flying with them again.

[tlcwaterfall]

3 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

I have an expired travel voucher for $840 with them after they cancelled my flight in August 2020 due to COVID. I have kept every exchange of correspondence with them, which will be attached to the complaint I make to the ACCC.

 

No other way to put it, Jetstar are thieves committing business fraud with many customers. I'll never be flying with them again.

Looks like a class action may be appropriate.

[Lacessit]

1 minute ago, tlcwaterfall said:

Looks like a class action may be appropriate.

Know any lawyers? I'm pretty sure there's a lot of people who got dudded just like me.

 

It's not the first time, either. When the Bangkok floods were in full swing about a decade ago, I was offered a $200 travel voucher to compensate me for the inconvenience of a flight change. When I presented it, I was informed it was reduced to $100, presumably by some four-eyed bean counter in an office fortress.

 

<deleted> thieves.

 

[wozza]

Gearbox 

Have I read this correctly? Jetstar denied you boarding because even though you have a current Non O visa /extension they wanted to see a flight ticket out of Thailand ? Im curious because this is the same scenario with me and I will return this month thankfully not with Jetstar,

 

"At the check in Melbourne I was denied boarding as I don't have an outbound flight before my yearly non-o retirement extension expires in June. They told me this is a "new requirement" although I know this is BS and Thais don't require return flight from non-immigration visa holders. I was forced to buy throwaway outbound flight "in the next 10 minutes" which was quite stressful"

[MajorTom]

2 hours ago, RJRS1301 said:

They are known as DeathStar for a reason.

 budget airline, expect budget service, well no service really

Old saying "Ya get what ya pay for".

 

Yeah. But denying  someone boarding on false grounds is not only bad service. I would call it sabotage or outright fraud.

[gearbox]

1 hour ago, wozza said:

Gearbox 

Have I read this correctly? Jetstar denied you boarding because even though you have a current Non O visa /extension they wanted to see a flight ticket out of Thailand ? Im curious because this is the same scenario with me and I will return this month thankfully not with Jetstar,

 

"At the check in Melbourne I was denied boarding as I don't have an outbound flight before my yearly non-o retirement extension expires in June. They told me this is a "new requirement" although I know this is BS and Thais don't require return flight from non-immigration visa holders. I was forced to buy throwaway outbound flight "in the next 10 minutes" which was quite stressful"

Yes that's correct. I'm currently on Non-O retirement extension which expires mid June. Of course I'm going to extend it for one year in June. On top of that I showed them an outbound ticket from Thailand to Europe only one week after my extension expires...not good enough for them.

 

In the end bought a one way ticket from Phuket to Kuala Lumpur early June.

 

The check-in staff seemed mostly old, arrogant and patronising, enjoying their newly found powers until they last.

 

If I had time I would would have asked them to show me the requirements in writing, but the flight was delayed already and there was no time for arguing.

 

If you fly Thai IMO you probably won't have any problems, but in any case arrive a bit early and have tools and connection to buy an outbound ticket. Some of the tickets are fully refundable.

[Wongkitlo]

On 3/1/2022 at 11:56 AM, Lacessit said:

I have an expired travel voucher for $840 with them after they cancelled my flight in August 2020 due to COVID. I have kept every exchange of correspondence with them, which will be attached to the complaint I make to the ACCC.

 

No other way to put it, Jetstar are thieves committing business fraud with many customers. I'll never be flying with them again.

Are you sure your voucher has expired. I understood they were extending them to mid 22 and then you can book a changeable ticket and get another one. There is a Jetstar Class Action facebook page but tbey did not get far with their class action. They did at one stage list Gareth Evans'(jetstar ceo) email  - gareth.evans at jetstar.com . I had a series of emails from his PA. 

[Lacessit]

14 minutes ago, Wongkitlo said:

Are you sure your voucher has expired. I understood they were extending them to mid 22 and then you can book a changeable ticket and get another one. There is a Jetstar Class Action facebook page but tbey did not get far with their class action. They did at one stage list Gareth Evans'(jetstar ceo) email  - gareth.evans at jetstar.com . I had a series of emails from his PA. 

The voucher expired August 2021, I have had no further correspondence from them.

As Jetstar has yet to schedule flights from Bangkok to Melbourne, I won't be holding my breath. I'll enquire when they do, but I expect a brushoff.

[Wongkitlo]

11 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

The voucher expired August 2021, I have had no further correspondence from them.

As Jetstar has yet to schedule flights from Bangkok to Melbourne, I won't be holding my breath. I'll enquire when they do, but I expect a brushoff.

They claim they are flying bkk to Tullamarine via Changi two times a week.Whether they actually do? I had a voucher from May 2020. I deleted the emails but am pretty sure they kept extending the dates. I used the last of the voucher in December 21. I am pretty sure at the time I used it I had plenty of time left.  Maybe you have missed some emails from them or they were too untogether to send. You can check the voucher on their webpage.

[Lacessit]

9 minutes ago, Wongkitlo said:

They claim they are flying bkk to Tullamarine via Changi two times a week.Whether they actually do? I had a voucher from May 2020. I deleted the emails but am pretty sure they kept extending the dates. I used the last of the voucher in December 21. I am pretty sure at the time I used it I had plenty of time left.  Maybe you have missed some emails from them or they were too untogether to send. You can check the voucher on their webpage.

They have not sent me a single email since they issued the voucher, thanks for the information.

[gearbox]

8 hours ago, Lacessit said:

They have not sent me a single email since they issued the voucher, thanks for the information.

Your voucher is probably extended, I would email Jetstar for confirmation.

 

https://www.smh.com.au/business/consumer-affairs/trip-of-a-lifetime-cancelled-and-18-000-in-vouchers-left-unused-20220301-p5a0rv.html