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Jetstar probes claims over strangers being asked to share rooms after major delays

Jetstar is probing allegations that single passengers were asked to share rooms after bungled flights left them stranded in Ho Chi Minh City.

Jetstar is probing allegations that passengers were asked to share rooms with strangers after multiple bungled flights left them stranded in Vietnam.

It’s reported that single women travelling on flight JQ-64 from Ho Chi Minh City to Melbourne were requested to share a room with single men after their flight was delayed on Monday.

It’s alleged that one passenger was told the next single guest would receive a key to her room when they checked into the acccomodation provided by Jetstar.

A Jetstar spokeswoman said the airline was urgently looking into the claims.

“We’ve spoken to our airports team in Ho Chi Minh City and can confirm that at no point did Jetstar staff request or expect customers who aren’t related to share a room, not even friends or colleagues who are travelling together,” she said.

“We are looking into this situation as a matter of urgency to ensure all our hotel providers are following the same policy.

“We will also reach out to the customers involved to better understand what happened.”

Melbourne-bound passengers were forced to wait for hours at the aiport before they were told about the delay. Picture: Supplied
Melbourne-bound passengers were forced to wait for hours at the aiport before they were told about the delay. Picture: Supplied

It comes as Melbourne travellers said they were furious about the lengthy delays over the past three days.

Passengers travelling on flight JQ-62 from Ho Chi Minh City to Sydney were stuck in Vietnam for 20 hours after their flight was scheduled to leave on Sunday night but left on Monday night instead.

It’s understood an entire team of technicans called in sick, forcing the plane to be delayed.

A Melbourne man, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Herald Sun the bungle costed him more than $300 and a extra day of annual leave.

He said his connecting Jetstar flight to Melbourne was also delayed.

Jetstar said it would reimburse passengers $150 per room for accommodation and $30 per person for meals and other expenses.

Flight JQ-64 was delayed due to an issue with an aircraft door.

The flight was due to take off at 10.35pm AEDT on Monday but is not expected to leave until Tuesday night.

It’s understood about 300 passengers boarded and disembarked the plane twice before the major delay was announced.

Jetstar passengers are furious after being stranded in Ho Chi Minh City. Picture: Nicholas Eagar
Jetstar passengers are furious after being stranded in Ho Chi Minh City. Picture: Nicholas Eagar

A passenger on the flight, Dean Debattista, said there was a lot of confusion about the delay.

“No-one knew what was going on ... it was pretty crap,” he said.

“Pretty much everyone was lying on the floor and kids were everywhere.”

Mr Debattista said you get what you pay for when you fly Jetstar.

“I have flown Jetstar multiple times, they say you get what you pay for and for a cheap getaway, it’s worth it,” he said.

“But I’ll definitely make sure I allow a few days off work after my trip to make way for delays in the future.”

A Jetstar spokesman said a part to fix the door may need to be flown in from Singapore.

“Unfortunately, one of our flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Melbourne has been delayed due to an issue with an aircraft door, which may require a part to be flown in from Singapore,” he said.

“Customers are being provided with hotel accommodation and other reasonable expenses and the flight is expected to depart Ho Chi Minh City tonight.

“We never want to delay a flight but safety is always our number one priority and we apologise for the inconvenience.”

Meanwhile, Jetstar passengers were forced to wait on a Melbourne-bound plane in Alice Springs for eleven hours on the weekend due to an electrical fault.

The flight, which had originally departed from Bangkok, made an emergency landing after a passenger required urgent medical attention.

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Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/melbournebound-jetstar-passengers-stranded-in-ho-chi-minh-city/news-story/70f20e71bfd71aeeb010b4a00ae4fee7