Gold Coast mum angry after her teen son was left ‘stranded’ by Jetstar in Sydney for three days
A mum is calling for change after her teen was left ‘stranded’ by an airline for three days after cancelling his flight on the night of the NRL grand final. See why she said they ‘screwed’ them over
Gold Coast
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Gold Coast, we are being held hostage.
No, it’s not by the light rail, developers or politicians … it’s by our airlines.
While this city is continuing its incredible post-Covid tourism comeback, we’re being kneecapped by our aviation industry.
Figures from Tourism Research Australia show the Gold Coast welcomed 12.6 million domestic overnight and day trip visitors in the 12 months to June, up 33 per cent on the previous year, while our hotel occupancy is exceeding pre-pandemic levels.
Meanwhile, Gold Coast Airport itself is flying high … recording one its busiest Junes on record this year as it welcomed more than 482,000 passengers, many through its glitzy new terminal – around 7500 more than the same period in 2019.
And with major events in the city like the new Gold Coast Pacific Airshow and upcoming Gold Coast 500, it seems the only way is up.
Well, except for the aeroplanes themselves.
According to the Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics, the airline performance statistics for August, 2023, showed the on-time arrival and departure figures were significantly lower than the long-term average performance for all routes, while the rate of cancellations was also higher than the long-term average.
Now, we’re not alone. Delays and cancellations have become more common around the world as carriers reel from decades of severe struggles, from 9/11 to the GFC to the pandemic.
And the Gold Coast is certainly not the only city to feel the strain, but given our tourism industry is the lifeblood of our town, it hurts a hell of a lot more.
But what can we do? Because it really doesn’t feel like the carriers care at all.
Just last Sunday, a friend was visiting when her teenage son, due to fly home from Sydney to Gold Coast, called to say his Jetstar flight was abruptly cancelled due to a staffing shortage.
It was his first time travelling alone and making it home was a priority given he had both work and school commitments. However, he was told by staff that the next available flight was Wednesday night.
Three days! It’s Sydney to the Gold Coast, guys. This is not a weekly flight to an exotic destination.
This teen was then told they could not find him any accommodation but he could book it himself, keep a receipt and they would (eventually) reimburse him - for up to $200 per night.
Keep in mind this was Sunday, October 1, the night of the NRL Grand Final in Sydney. The cheapest accommodation we could find him was $280 for a hostel.
When his mother called Jetstar customer service to query a rebooking - surely there was a mistake, surely they would not leave a teen alone and stranded for three days - she was deliberately disconnected when she dared complain.
Upon calling back, she stated that she would be recording the call for ‘quality assurance’ but was told that was not allowed. Only Jetstar can record you, not the other way.
And that pretty well summarises the situation. Ask not what your airline can do for you, but how your airline can screw you over.
Which is why we need our airlines to cop some accountability for the extreme distress these scheduling changes can cause.
Already, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, consumer advocate Choice and the Australian Lawyers Alliance have raised the prospect of a compensation scheme, similar as to what operates in the EU, as the government considers its aviation white paper.
In Europe, passengers whose flights arrive at their final destination with a delay of more than three hours, unless due to external factors such as poor weather, are entitled to between 250 and 600 euros compensation each.
But Choice money and travel expert Jodi Bird said there were no repercussions in Australia if airlines chose to cancel flights or bump passengers, meaning no incentive or even obligation to deliver a service.
“Australian airlines don’t seem to care much about customer service after they’ve sold you the ticket, and something like (compensation) would mean they’d have to.”
Extrapolate the individual experience of my friend and her son, and it turns into a tourism nightmare for our city.
It doesn’t matter how wonderful your time was on the Gold Coast, how many days at the beach you enjoyed or events you attended, if your last experience was a cancelled flight or extreme delay that throws out your entire life, you’re probably going to stick to your local drive market next holiday.
Australia is already an isolated location and its long-haul flight status for most countries is a real turn-off, so let’s not make it one minute worse.
After all, every moment is a lifetime when you’re being held hostage.
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