Elderly couple left in tears, waiting for hours after being ‘abandoned’ by Jetstar

Jetstar has responded after a Bali traveller said he witnessed a “traumatised” elderly couple being treated in a way described as “beyond negligent”.

Jetstar has apologised to an elderly couple who were left shaking, in tears and waiting hours at an international airport after being deserted by the airline.

An elderly couple flying with Jetstar were left shaking, in tears and waiting hours at an international airport after being deserted by the airline.

Melbourne man Elijah, 35, says he has been left so disturbed by what he witnessed at Bangkok airport this week that it has completely put him off travelling.

“In what was a traumatic couple of days, I witnessed Jetstar abandon two elderly passengers in Bangkok,” he told NCA Newswire.

A Jetstar spokesman said the airline would “sincerely apologise” to the couple, Paul Markoski, 78, and Georgina Markoski, 81.

“We sincerely apologise to Mr and Mrs Markoski for the disruption to their journey as a result of unexpected engineering issues,” the spokesman said.

“We are reaching out to them to apologise directly and get a better understanding of their specific experiences so we can improve our communications during disruptions.”

The elderly couple were travelling from Skopje to Istanbul, then onto Bangkok and Melbourne as priority care passengers in wheelchairs when their Jetstar flight to Melbourne was cancelled.

Jetstar chief executive Gareth Evans, who will depart the airline in December, was forced to issue an apology this week to 4000 stranded passengers in Bali. Picture: Justin Brierty

The pair and Elijah were among 22 passengers who were told a refund had been processed and that the Jetstar staff were no longer able to assist.

“At this point the passengers were removed from the wheelchairs and escorted to two chairs in the waiting area of Bangkok airport,” he said.

“It wasn’t until nine hours later that I went to check on the elderly couple to find them in tears not knowing what to do, severely distressed.”

With no English and no way of contacting their loved ones back home, Elijah said they were confused, frightened and left to their own devices by Jetstar staff.

“Like myself, they were given no alternatives, re-booking a later flight was not an option and hotel accommodation was not provided,” he said.

“Effectively they were stranded in Bangkok indefinitely.”

Elijah – who was brought to tears himself by the situation – was eventually able to contact their daughter back home via Facebook.

She had been frantically trying to find her parents.

Paul, 78, and Georgina, 82 Markoski finally arrived home in Melbourne on Wednesday after days of delay due to their Jetstar flight cancellation. Picture: Supplied

“The daughter, also hysterical, had been on the phone all evening and morning trying to get in touch with Jetstar and Bangkok Airport to get an understanding of where her parents were,” he said.

Elijah, who eventually had to fork out an extra $4000 to fly home on another airline, booked accommodation for the couple at the same hotel he was staying at for the night.

“The level of care for anyone was non-existent,” he said.

The couple’s daughter told NCA Newswire she was “very, very angry” at the situation, explaining that she was worried they had run out of medication.

“I was frustrated, angry, concerned, worried that I didn’t know their whereabouts for hours,” she said.

She said she still had not received a response from Jetstar since contacting them on Friday.

The Markovskis’ daughter says she still hasn’t received a response from Jetstar. Picture: AAP Image/Dean Lewins

“You can’t talk to anyone, it’s all via Jess, an online chat,” she said.

“You wait and wait and wait and wait.”

She called Elijah her “guardian angel,” saying he had done exactly what staff should have done.

Elijah said his mind was “still blown trying to process the events that unfolded”.

“How an elderly couple in their 80s could be left unattended and uninformed, stranded in an airport without a means of communicating to the outside world is beyond negligent,” he said.

Asked whether he would consider flying Jetstar again, the 35-year-old said the budget airline “no longer exists” to him.

“I don’t think I'll be flying full stop,” he said.

Perth dad Mark Carder was also caught up in the chaos, missing his daughter’s 10th birthday this week after multiple flight cancellations by Jetstar.

Mark Carder says he will never fly Jetstar again after two cancellations prevented him from seeing his family. Picture: Supplied

Mark Carder missed his daughter's 10th birthday in Bali on Tuesday after being caught up in Jetstar’s airport chaos. Picture: Supplied

Mr Carder was excited to meet his wife and two daughters in Bali after a trip to the US, booked on a flight from Sydney to Denpasar on September 3.

“The plan was for me to fly from Sydney to Denpasar via Melbourne on September 5 so that I could meet up with my wife and two daughters in Bali for my eldest Zoe’s 10th birthday on September 6,” he told NCA Newswire.

But after two cancelled flights, Mr Carder was forced to give up and fly home to Perth, waiting 11 hours at Sydney Airport and forced to cough up another $550 for a flight home on another airline.

The frustrated dad said all he expected from Jetstar was to be able to get “from A to B in cattle class.”

“I missed my daughter’s 10th birthday and felt I really let her down,” he said.

Alan Joyce, chief executive officer of Qantas, gets 15 per cent pay rise amid mass disruptions. Picture: Brendon Thorne/Bloomberg via Getty Images

“I will never fly Jetstar again – it’s not worth the risk. They don’t have any remorse or regard for completely throwing your plans into mayhem.

“Jetstar makes you feel like garbage.”

Frustrated passengers like Mr Carder are seeing red after it was announced Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce had been given a 15 per cent pay rise this year despite widespread issues.

Qantas and Jetstar, which is wholly owned by Qantas Group, have come under fire for months, following major delays, cancelled flights and baggage issues leaving passengers raging.

Mr Joyce, whose airline was forced to apologise for the mismanagement, had his pay cheque jump from $1.98m to $2.27m this year, according to Qantas’ annual report.

Jetstar has apologised to the roughly 4000 passengers who were stranded in Bali over the past week because of flight cancellations.