[Enervated traveler]

‘Please explain’ the definition of WORLDS BEST LOW COST AIRLINE and BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE as interpreted by JET STAR and QANTAS. As per your proudly broadcast ‘hold’ message states.

I find it hard to believe that the airline voted ‘worlds best & safest’ has in the last month had no less than ½ dozen (publicly documented) ‘incidents’ involving faulty equipment resulting in near misses, delays and major inconvenience to paying customers.

Last month I caught a plane to Townsville with Qantas, the flight was booked for 6.45am and did not leave till around 0900 due to ‘engine problems’, I only just made my 10.00 o’clock meeting no thanks to Qantas. The majority of other passengers being business people on tight schedules were not as lucky. To add insult to injury our ‘hostess’ looked like she had not only rolled out of bed on the wrong side that fateful morning, but had also landed in a bowl of lemon juice with all the friendliness of a mother bear with a headache. No compensation of any sort was offered by way of a packet of peanuts, a complimentary drink or a discount for passengers on their next flight. Oh no. The brief ‘apology’ had all the sincerity of a John Howard speech.

Tonight I arranged a lift to the airport to get me to a 6.45pm flight to attend two funerals interstate. I arrived at the check in counter at 6.18pm and was told I would not be boarding the flight as I was late. I explained that I would be attending a funeral the next day and needed to be on the flight, I had no luggage to book could I please run and join the queue. “No the plane is ready for take off all the passengers are on already” Pretty broad statement for a person to make 27 minutes before take off not to mention entirely insensitive given the circumstances under which I was traveling. Never mind the lengths I had to go to raise the money to get the flight at such short notice in the first place. Upon calling the ‘call centre’ I was told (somewhat smugly) that airport staff can (and have) refused entry to a vessel to customers who miss check in by as little as 15 seconds! (let alone my pathetic 3 minutes).

Now it’s not like I don’t understand that planes travel to times, but 27 minutes prior to take off for a domestic flight with no baggage to check in, come on! Most other airlines close their gates 15 – 20 minutes prior to take off for domestic flights and without a doubt I was 27 minutes away from take off time. Virgin Blue for instance told me to “run like hell’ to make it to a plane 2 years ago when the taxi I was in on the way to the airport broke down and I had to wait for another one to arrive. I arrived FIVE MINUTES prior to take off and was given the chance to get myself on that plane. Fortunately I did manage to ‘run like hell’ and was very graciously assisted by the Virgin Blue staff who even apologized that I was made to run!

No such luck with JET STAR or QANTAS tho! Does LOW COST adumbrate LOW SERVICE? Get a clue Qantas and Jet Star your service is execrable at best. The fact that there isn’t even an actual phone number to resolve customer issues OR an email address! Would be your way of ‘dealing’ with the obviously enormous amount of negative feedback they get. Or am I just jumping to conclusions?

Jet Star was my absolute LAST CHOICE of airline given the story that made news headlines not so long ago in regard to unceremoniously ejecting paying passengers including mothers and babies into the airport car park overnight when JET STAR stuffed up. I hope they are being sued for breach of ‘duty of care’ under child protection laws. Obviously they have NO intention of learning ANYTHING about public relations and fostering good rapport with the public. I guess they have enough blissfully unaware Japanese customers to keep their flights full not to be overly concerned with the ‘local’ contingent.The ONLY reason I booked with Jet Star was because they were the ONLY airline with available seats (any wonder why)?


Well done Jet Star/Qantas, I hope Sir Richard Branson puts you and your shabby fleet into liquidation some day very soon. With the sour faced, unhelpful and entirely unpleasant staff you have representing you one has to wonder if they are paid to be the worst they can possibly be or if it is an actual requirement that they be so disagreeable, discourteous, ill-disposed, rude, unaccommodating, unamiable, uncivil and uncongenial to work for you. Your ‘inherited’ spotless safety record is in tatters and your reputation for friendliness entirely erroneous.

My apologies to the recherché staff members of Jet Star/ Qantas who may be contrary to the above statements and actually work hard at being ‘The Best’.

With the utmost sincerity


Enervated traveler