Jetstar: Baggage Row Halts Flight

[BadgerBoi]

This morning's Hobart Mercury:

"A JETSTAR flight was cancelled and four or five passengers detained by Australia Federal Police last night after an argument over luggage escalated into a shouting match."

Baggage row halts flight Travel - The Mercury - The Voice of Tasmania

"An argument between staff and multiple passengers about oversized baggage become heated, and the passengers were asked to leave the plane,"

This is one reason why I really hate the trend towards charging to check-in luggage.

 

[Mal]

Interesting article (apart from the NoNews lack of substance). Does raise some questions from me:

* So Jetstar actually enforces cabin baggage limits at times? Interesting.
* Why are their pilots so close to "duty hours" when about to depart Hobart? Anything could delay a plane a couple of hours (eg Mech, weather etc). They seem to be scraping things VERY fine.
* So what really happened?

 

[BadgerBoi]

Interesting article (apart from the NoNews lack of substance). Does raise some questions from me:

* So Jetstar actually enforces cabin baggage limits at times? Interesting.
* Why are their pilots so close to "duty hours" when about to depart Hobart? Anything could delay a plane a couple of hours (eg Mech, weather etc). They seem to be scraping things VERY fine.
* So what really happened?

I knew that a link to a News site would raise hackles here

Only source I could find atm for this story, heard it first on ABC Newsradio but couldn't find anything on their website, or anywhere else. Clearly there was a kerfuffle and the plane didn't go.

 

[drron]

Yes JQ does sometimes enforce carry on limits.I was in a slanging match about it once with JQ-though only 1 side was slanging and not me.My bag though fitted in the sizer and weighed only 7KG so he lost.No apologies thopugh.
In this instance though-good on JQ.(If the facts are as reported).

 

[anat0l]

* Why are their pilots so close to "duty hours" when about to depart Hobart? Anything could delay a plane a couple of hours (eg Mech, weather etc). They seem to be scraping things VERY fine.

I agree.

They estimated the delay was approximately 45 minutes. That still leaves enough time for the plane to get the SYD to beat the curfew with at least 50 minutes in hand, although ATC reorganisation may force the aircraft to land later than that, potentially putting a spanner in the works there.

But if possible SYD curfew is not the reason, then the pilot hours are cutting quite fine, assuming that they must've been scheduled to fly almost all day long and there is no contingency for the last flight for anything to go wrong.

 

[straitman]

* Why are their pilots so close to "duty hours" when about to depart Hobart? Anything could delay a plane a couple of hours (eg Mech, weather etc). They seem to be scraping things VERY fine.
* So what really happened?

At some point toward the end of every day, every pilot, with every airline is going to be close to their duty hours limit :!:

Are they not :?:

 

[Mal]

At some point toward the end of every day, every pilot, with every airline is going to be close to their duty hours limit :!:

Good point. Pilots work on a fixed number of hours, and I'm sure airlines try to max these where possible.

What I was trying to highlight was that JQ seem to do the leg with pilots that can't handle any delay - and they have no backup pilots to take over if things go wrong.

Cheap 'n' nasty JQ behaviour in my books.

 

[VHOEJ]

I am surprised JQ actually enforce the rules. I have travelled multliple times with JQ, always have a look at what people try to bring on board and everytime they get on. If they enforce the rules on every flight, people will abide by the rules.

Seriously, what does it cost to pay to check? $10 extra dollars. It isn't $100. Simple solution people, pack less!

 

[anat0l]

I am surprised JQ actually enforce the rules. I have travelled multliple times with JQ, always have a look at what people try to bring on board and everytime they get on. If they enforce the rules on every flight, people will abide by the rules.

Seriously, what does it cost to pay to check? $10 extra dollars. It isn't $100. Simple solution people, pack less!

To be fair, most airlines don't very well enforce the 7kg carry-on rule (albeit it is 10kg for JQ) - this applies to several airlines all around the world, from the best to the worst (and even on airlines in the USA where the carry-on rule is much more generous, it too is rarely enforced - you only have to gate check your bag if it won't fit, i.e. you boarded too late).

In general, if it looks too big or heavy, airlines are more likely to pick on you. Sometimes they do the check at check-in, but there are certainly ways around that.

And it's $10 extra to check a bag but who wants to pay that? I think that fee is on the way up, too. You've also got the classic argument: "It's the same bl**dy weight on the same bl**dy aircraft - why should it make a bl**dy difference where I put the bag?" (That line has been said to me before)

 

[eastwest101]

Agree with a lot of the posters about consistency and enforcement of carry-on luggage, and I think that any carriers having baggage fees owes it to their customers to also enforce reasonable carry-on limits - how this can be done without delaying and inconveniencing all passengers is a tricky one though.

FWIW - a few years ago I found that Jetstar in HBA were much more rigorous and strict with excess checked-in baggage weights and fees, than the staff were in BNE. To the point of the exact same piece of luggage incurring no excess fees on the trip south and incurring excess fees on the way north. Maybe the PAX involved were aware of this and possibly trying to "push the envelope" with carry-on?

Dosen't totally explain or excuse the behavior of the PAX in question though.... would be interesting if any AFF'ers were there.

 

[farstar]

If the bag was the correct size there would have been no problems so I have no sympathy for the passenger. It's a bit like speeding and when the police pull you over saying that you weren't booked yesterday so why am I being booked today.
It is more worrying from the report that they disobeyed the crew and tried to board and then had a scuffle with the crew. Were they drunk? I wouldn't want to be on a flight with guys like that, what if the argument was about something else mid flight with 4-5 guys verses the crew , not sure what about but these guys seem like the sort that would have their phones on talking during take-off or landing.
This seems to me is much worse than the guy who got fine $1500.

 

[Cocitus23]

By chance, I was down in Tassie over the weekend (Launceston), and this incident was well-covered on the local TV news. I notice that the Mercury report mentions that a scuffle broke out. The TV report I heard spoke of blows being thrown. It then went on to say that Federal Police interviewed the passengers, but no charges were laid. It seems to me odd that no charges were laid if there was ANY physical contact at all with the crew, even if "blows were thrown" was overstating it a bit.
Do we have any readers who were actually on the flight and know what happened? And who were the people involved? It sounds to me like they deserve a good holiday from flying.

Cocitus23.

 

[Mal]

The TV report I heard spoke of blows being thrown. It then went on to say that Federal Police interviewed the passengers, but no charges were laid. It seems to me odd that no charges were laid if there was ANY physical contact at all with the crew, even if "blows were thrown" was overstating it a bit.

I've seen plenty of violent drunks throw punches that had no chance of hitting anything except for air. Perhaps this was the case (and the reason for the disconnect between stories?)

Obviously something bad happened, and I presume it's just the usual drunk, violent, boisterous drunk idiots causing the commotion.

 

[anat0l]

It's more common than you think that punches get thrown and people get hit but ultimately charges aren't laid. A good portion of such incidents never make the paper, of course.

Keep in mind that laying a charge would normally need to be actively pursued by the affected, i.e. the JQ crew, so if they don't press the charge then nothing will be done, irrespective of whether the "attackers" (shall we say) actually did wrong or not. The sheer effort, time and potential repercussions may not be worth it to the crew members who were hit.

 

[drron]

Also the Tassie TV news reports were that the flight was cancelled as would not make SYD before curfew.