Jetstar leaves pax at terminal with award tickets

[Shanye2233]

I booked a friend of mine a LM award ticket Syd- Lax for today . She lives in Melbourne and went to the airport to catch a flight from Melbourne to Sydney to get her outgoing flight to l.a . When she arrived at the terminal in Melbourne she fond her jetstar flight was cancelled and other flights were sold out . The earliest she was told that she could get there was 2.25pm which was the time her flight was leaving from the international airport and there would be no way she could make her flight.

She told them (jetstar) that she was catching a UA flight to l.a and she is going to miss her flight . Jetstar said they would ring united and get her to her destination. After jetstar called united and united told them they she was on a award ticket jetstar hung up the phone and told her to contact taca and sort it out and will NOT be assisting her with getting another flight. Their stand was our job is to get you to Sydney and that's what they or we are going to do.

i had to ring up lifemiles and cancel her ticket and then re book her on a later flight which isn't until the 20th April . The purpose for the trip was a music festival in Palm Springs which she is now going to miss along with pre-paid reservations costs of tickets for the festival and costs of re-booking. I myself was on a award ticket and UA cancelled my flight and re routed me anyway I choose . Can anyone tell me what rights she as a passenger should have . Can they really just leave her because its a award ticket with taca?

 

[serfty]

No rights at all really.

Jetstar's responsibility ends with getting the pax to Syd and the best that can be hoped from them is reimbursement/rescheduling of the JQ fare.

Separate tickets and different carriers will do that ...

 

[smit0847]

Great to have you back Shayne. As usual there are several things in your story that don't make sense:

- UA operate a tag flight MEL-SYD to connect with the SYD-LAX/SFO flights and it's my understanding the loads are very light on this 'domestic' leg - why didn't you book MEL-SYD-LAX on UA to ensure they reached their destination?
- JQ have no connection with UA at all so wouldn't give a rats a*se if she missed her UA flight on a non-linked, completely separate itinerary and would not try and ensure she reached her final destination. If my TT flight was cancelled and I missed my CX flight TT wouldn't give a rats either (nor would CX entertain the idea of compensation). TT would not help me get to Hong Kong!
- What exactly is JQ's role - to fly you around the world on rival carriers? Why would you think a budget point-to-point carrier would care?
- Presumably someone as travel savvy as you with your never-ending list of elite statuses would have ensure the JQ flight was early enough to allow for delays etc. It's certainly odd that there was no other flights on any carrier on a Thursday morning/lunch on the 5th busiest air route in the world.
- As per the conditions of your lifemiles award travel which you agreed to there is no compensation if you miss the start of your travel (you knew that).
- You're (in)famous on this forum for <redacted> Accept that you <redacted> book a non-linked budget connection that did not leave enough time for anything to go wrong.

Enjoy your trip to the Ivory Coast. I cannot imagine anything could possibly go wrong ... <redacted>

 

[dalereardon]

Many travel insurance policies would have covered the situation. She could have got another flight, with eg Qantas or Virgin to Sydney and that would have been paid for by her travel insurance.

We had situation with BA going on strike and travel insurance through credit card paid for alternative carrier and we were connecting from a different carrier and on award tickets. No arguments at all.

Dale.

 

[albatross710]

The purpose for the trip was a music festival in Palm Springs which she is now going to miss along with pre-paid reservations costs of tickets for the festival and costs of re-booking.

I think these sort of things could also be covered by the insurance policy.

 

[eastwest101]

Many travel insurance policies would have covered the situation. She could have got another flight, with eg Qantas or Virgin to Sydney and that would have been paid for by her travel insurance.

We had situation with BA going on strike and travel insurance through credit card paid for alternative carrier and we were connecting from a different carrier and on award tickets. No arguments at all.

Dale.

Good to hear of your positive experience about travel insurance, with separate bookings on different airlines I have heard varying reports about different insurers having exclusions that catch peple out, could I ask which credit card provider/insurer accepted your claim when you got caught out by the BA strike ( the 2011 one I assume?)

 

[SQ421]

Separate tickets.

JQ's responsibility ends with getting you to SYD as per their CoC.

UA doesn't care how you get to SYD as long as you are checked in before check-in closes.

Out of curiosity, why didn't you head over to UA in MEL and see if they'd transport you from MEL to SYD, even if it was in Y. May have been a long shot but surely is worth a try.

Seems to me you (sorry, your friend) is SOL.

 

[dalereardon]

It was a CBA Diamond (or maybe Plat back then as they have changed names, the top one at any rate) and Zurich was the insurer. Very good insurer as it turned out. We also had a claim with the Volcano in the Northern Hemisphere and they paid out for that extended stay in Paris as well.

Dale.

 

[shellthom]

I believe strikes are treated very differently (by all insurers) to delays or cancellations. Strikes are along the lines of weather delays and would be covered by most insurers. Just general delay or cancellation - maintenance issues, delay leaving the terminal and its flow on effect etc there is only a limited number of insurers who cover these and I believe most are Card Insurers and it is a small amount of cover for missed connections when domestic legs are delayed.

 

[Shanye2233]

I had a UA flight cancelled from HNL - lax I think it was last year and then they simply put me on another flight to catch my connection . Then someone on FT pointed out that I can choose how I want to get home as quick as possible . I went back to the service desk at the lounge and they gave me a nz flight in j all the way home no troubles . So I thought jq would have to do the same if not then it looks like I was lucky .

I originally booked for my sister who added a friend who asked me to book her on the same flights I didn't know she was coming from Melbourne until today I got the call from my sister . I did ask first if she had travel insurance which she didn't and she asked if she should get some I said it was a little late . But the main question is jetstar called UA to assist her with her connections or changes but when they found it was a taca award ticket they didn't want to deal with it any further .

I then logged into LM and saw a flight out tomorrow tried to book it but the seat disappeared I call into the call centre and they couldn't see nothing until the 20th out of Mel or syd to lax . Then I got to a terminal and selected the carrier UA and then date and time I knew the flight was and it came up.

Once the reservation number came thru I checked it on the UA website and it said not ticketed . I rang LM and they said because its within 24 hours we probably won't get a e-ticket so don't rely on it ? Anyway 10 mins later it was ticketed and we wait and see what happens tomorrow . Quiet a exciting day . Hope my trip goes according to plan I know everyone has their fingers crossed .

Those of you interested my executive platinum status with AA expired and so did my united 1k . But lucky for me it was a soft landing currently at the sheraton on GC in a spa studio typing this I'm tthankful for the knowledge I have learnt to help her get out of this situation . Some people were just not meant to travel . No insurance , No status , no flight .

 

[shellthom]

Because it was with points and not your sisters friends account they may have said something like they needed to talk to you the points account holder directly and to the friend it sounded like they weren't going to help, I am actually quite shocked they called in the first place.
I haven't heard of this - I think that is well beyond what they are required to do. So while it may not have been a great end result at the time they were trying to assist above and beyond their means but their attempts unfortunately failed and then no one is happy.
I dont see why she couldnt have been transferred to a different flight that could get her to syd in time, even on a waitlist but whats done is done.

 

[elbarto]

So JQ attempts to help a pax get to their destination and UA tells JQ they don't want to deal with an award pax. And somehow it's JQ's fault they can't get to LAX?

 

[Shanye2233]

I think she was on a 11am or 12 o clock flight out of Melbourne to Sydney . Then maybe a quick train ride to the international terminal . Then when it was cancelled the next available flight out was 1pm which was full I think 2pm had a J seat available which I could have booked with my free QF points but didn't because she would have missed the boat anyway . But from what she's telling JQ did call UA because she rang me and told me I need to talk to taca . I didn't know who she was talking about I thought it was her Mexican boyfriend ! I was in the middle of a Madagascar show at dreamworld

 

[smit0847]

Shayne as much as you frustrate me with your 'take take take' attitude and the lack of sense you make, I must admit I do enjoy hearing about how your life lurches from one disaster to the next. It is entertaining if nothing else.

 

[Supersonic Swinger]

This is my biggest fear when booking a flight on one airline to connect to a flight on another airline when you cannot connect the PNRs, even when they are both revenue tickets. I try to leave a day between them in case what happened to your friend does happen.

Oh, and friends don't let their enemies book on Jetstar.

 

[Aussie_flyer]

How much did your 'friend' pay for the flight you booked for her this time?

 

[burmans]

How much did your 'friend' pay for the flight you booked for her this time?

Ah yes, if I was your 'friend' I'd be feeling lucky my flight wasn't cancelled totally.

 

[medhead]

Clearly you have no idea what a low cost carrier is. You also seem to struggle with the concept of airline alliances and competition. Jetstar had absolutely no obligation beyond getting your friend to Sydney at some time. I simply cannot believe your friend booked a flight with jetstar at all in this situation. Let me guess they were trying to save money?

 

[Shanye2233]

Sisters friend and I didn't know she was booking a JQ flight . I wouldn't have asked the question if jetstar did nothing but the fact they called UA and tried to help out but when they found it was a taca redemption their help ceased . Anyway I believe that if a airline forces you to mis-connect a flight then it's their job to get you to your destination . Like I have said UA cancelled my flight in HNL and I was connecting on a OZ flight on the way back which I would have missed . Not only did they re route me but they let me do it any way I choose too. I'm thinking it may be because its on the same ticket and in this case JQ aren't connected at all to the UA or taca booking .

Another quick question if I book a o/w from Europe to Japan without a exit ticket until I get there is that permitted and if not who and when will they stop me . At the European check in or at Japan or at Sydney when I leave to go to Europe and ask me for a return ticket back to Sydney which I won't have booked yet ?

 

[medhead]

You booked 2 completely separate flights. The first airline has no obligation what so ever. End of story.

If your friend bothered to book connected flights it would be a different story.