Jetstar flight cancellations cause travel woes for Kiwi travellers

Aucklander Tamsyn Fenton (left) booked a Bali trip with her friend but said Jetstar disruptions had been an issue on the way there and back. Photo / Supplied

One Kiwi traveller has a warning for those heading to Bali on a Jetstar flight: you get what you pay for.

This week, around 4000 travellers had their Jetstar flights between Bali and Australia delayed or cancelled. Aucklander Tamsyn Fenton said similar issues were happening back in July.

Looking to escape the winter, Fenton booked flights to Bali for a holiday with her friend. Since direct flights between New Zealand and Bali are yet to return, they booked a Jetstar flight that travelled from Auckland to Denpasar via a short stop in Melbourne on July 16. They booked the same route home.

"That's what we had booked and what we had paid for," Fenton said. "Then a month prior to the trip, they decided to change our flights completely on us."

Jetstar allegedly claimed the Auckland to Melbourne flight was no longer running, so Fenton was rebooked onto an itinerary that flew from Auckland to Sydney, then to Melbourne and finally Bali. Not only did this add one flight and seven hours to the journey, but two terminal changes.

After waiting for her checked bag in Sydney, Fenton had to bus to the domestic terminal and recheck her bag for the Melbourne flight. Upon landing in Melbourne, she then had to collect her bag, transfer to the International terminal, and recheck luggage for a third time that trip.

Although the process was "a bit awful", Fenton said it wasn't a surprise given the cost of the flights.

"We didn't pay heaps for flights, so you get what you pay for," she said.

Fenton said the disruptions were 'not the end of the world' but did add stress to the trip. Photo / Supplied

"We got completely messed up"

Unfortunately, flight troubles were far from over for Fenton and her friend.

One day before they were due to fly home, their Melbourne to Sydney flight on August 29 was cancelled.

With no number to call, they spent two hours on Jetstar's online chat service trying to find a solution. Eventually, they were placed on their original route from Bali to Sydney to Auckland, which would depart a day later than planned.

Fortunately, Fenton said they were able to stay at their accommodation another night, spend the day at the beach and fly home more directly. However, she knew other travellers who hadn't been so lucky.

"We got lucky in terms of a cancelled flight but it could have really messed people up a little bit if it wasn't the situation we had," she said.

Extra accommodation costs and cancellations aside, Fenton said the most challenging part of the disruption had been the lack of direct communication.

"We got completely messed up both there and back and no compensation the entire time," she said.

While it was "not the end of the world," Fenton said a lack of phone number or contact person was challenging.

"We had to wait online for two hours and use a chat bot, that was probably the most frustrating thing. If you're gonna cancel our flight the day before we're supposed to go home, please give us a contact number to sort this out asap but they didn't."

Thousands of travellers have had similar experiences while flying to and from Bali with Jetstar.

This week, an estimated 4000 people were affected by Jetstar flight disruptions while flying between Australia and Bali.

"Engineering requirements" were the reason for many of the flight cancellations, a Jetstar spokesperson told NCA NewsWire.

Their Boeing 787 fleet had been impacted by several issues including bird strikes, lightning strikes, damage from items on the runway and trouble sourcing spare parts due to global supply chain issues.

"Our teams are looking at every option to get passengers on their way as soon as possible, including seats on Qantas flights and operating ad-hoc services where possible,"

Most passengers had been re-accommodated on new flights, but those who did not want to be put on a new Jetstar flight were offered flight credits or refunds.

Have you experienced a major travel disruption or challenge? Share your story with us by emailing travel@nzherald.co.nz