Melbourne family ‘gobsmacked’ by Jetstar’s hefty fee for small booking request
The Victorian family were hoping to take their eight-year-old daughter to Brisbane for the upcoming AFL game, but it came at an eye-watering cost.
Family Life
Don't miss out on the headlines from Family Life. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A Melbourne family were left “gobsmacked” after learning how much it would cost to make a small booking change on their upcoming flight to Brisbane.
Mum-of-two Abby was excited to visit Brisbane this Saturday with her family, ready to watch Carlton and Brisbane Lions battle it out at the Gabba.
They didn’t realise a small booking change on their Jetstar flight would end up costing them more than the original seat ticket.
Want to join the family? Sign up to our Kidspot newsletter for more stories like this.
“We were gobsmacked!”
Initially, Abby was planning to visit Brisbane with a group, including her father, but he later changed his mind about the flight.
“My dad doesn't like big crowds and said he didn't want to come,” she recounted to Yahoo News.
RELATED: Mum’s ‘disgraceful’ experience flying Jetstar sparks big debate
Because Abby had already purchased the tickets, she and her husband, Kade, decided their eight-year-old daughter should go to Brisbane in her father’s place.
“We decided to tell our eight-year-old daughter she was going on a holiday to Brisbane too,” she said.
To change the names on the plane tickets, Kade called Jetstar, only to be told it would incur a fee.
Introducing our new podcast: Mum Club! Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode.
Knowing there’d be an extra charge for the alteration, Abby initially said they’d be “happy to pay” to make the change.
They didn’t expect it would cost them $800.
“When they said $800, we were gobsmacked!” she said, horrified; the family had only paid $550 for the seat in the first place.
Surprised by the hefty price tag, they desperately searched for an alternative. The family were devastated when they realised the price of another seat on the same flight had increased to a whopping $1,250, which “wasn’t really an option”.
RELATED: ‘We paid for seats but Virgin and Jetstar STILL separated our family’
Beware of extra fees when making changes to your flight
Speaking to Yahoo News, a spokesperson from Jetstar explained that transferring names on a plane ticket would incur a fee. For flights purchased as a “Starter Fare”, passengers will also be charged a Fare Difference fee.
According to the airline’s terms and conditions, passengers are required to pay the difference between the amount originally paid and the advertised fare for the same flight at the time of requesting a name transfer.
This is to prevent people from buying cheap flights and selling them later at a higher price.
Thankfully, after getting a “better understanding of the family’s specific circumstances”, Jetstar agreed to transfer the names on the tickets free of charge.
“On compassionate grounds, we have transferred their grandfather’s fare into the name of another passenger,” the spokesperson said.
More Coverage
Originally published as Melbourne family ‘gobsmacked’ by Jetstar’s hefty fee for small booking request
My fiance’s ex is angry I threw a party for her son
“She flipped out and said that her son deserves his own birthday party…”
Husband and wife have a pact to split when kid turns 16
On the surface, the marriage between Anna and Jack looks picture-perfect. But dig a little deeper, and you’ll see that not everything is as it seems.