Thousands of Aussies in Bali impacted by Jetstar flight cancellations

“Exhausted” Aussies stranded in Bali are going to great lengths to return home after a series of flight cancellations on a budget airline.

Thousands of Australians have been left stranded in Bali after multiple Jetstar flights were cancelled.

Since the start of September, multiple flights between Australia and Bali have been canned every day due to engineering issues.

About 4000 Australians were impacted at one point in time, a Jetstar spokesperson told NCA NewsWire.

Some travellers have had to wait up to five days to be rebooked on to another Jetstar flight or fork out hundreds of dollars to book flights on a different airline.

Hundreds of Aussies are still in Bali.

As of Monday, just 200 passengers were waiting for an alternative flight, the spokesperson said.

Melburnian Meagan Mulder, her husband Adrian and two kids, who had been holidaying with 60 friends and family in the island hotspot, said their travel plans had gone smoothly until it was time to fly home.

“We had 12 friends who were on the midnight flight last night, they had their flight cancelled, they can’t get another flight anywhere for seven people until Friday this week, so they’ve had to get more accommodation and everything,” she said.

She explained that another four friends were forced to book flights with another airline, forking out more than $10,000 to make a detour to Kuala Lumpur.
“For us, it’s a seven-hour delay but we’re getting home,” Ms Mulder said.

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Casey Emmerson and her girlfriend Kim were due to come home on September 1, but they are still stuck in Bali.

The Cranbourne locals’ flights have been cancelled twice by Jetstar as the pair desperately try to find a way home.

“Our only option to get home faster is via Qantas, which is over $1500 each, which isn't something we can afford, as we still have accommodation, meals, dog sitter fees etc to pay whilst here before getting reimbursed by Jetstar,” Ms Emmerson said.

“Jetstar have told us the next flight they can get us on is September 8 to arrive by September 9, which is unsuitable for both of us.

“I am self-employed and my girlfriend is a BAS agent … since being stuck in Bali, between us we have lost about $5000 income.

Ms Emmerson said she also chatted to another woman who had to pay $5500 for four people to return home.

The woman could not wait until September 9, as her husband had ran out of blood pressure tablets.

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Another frustrated passenger, Pauline from Melbourne, had been trying to fly home from Bali for two days after losing her grandfather on Friday.

She finally boarded a flight with her family at 6.30pm on Sunday night.

“I’m exhausted. I just want to f***ing get home,” she said.

“We need to get home.

“All flights have been sold out, delayed, cancelled, we’ve been trying since Friday to get on the flight.”

Another passenger, Kylie from Melbourne, who was travelling with her two children and partner, said she couldn’t find any information about the changes to her flight on Sunday.

“The most frustrating thing was that we weren't told about three of the delays, no information, no updates. Even online, you couldn’t find the information,” she said.

The Jetstar spokesperson said some flights had been cancelled between Australia and Bali’s capital Denpasar due to “engineering requirements”.

They apologised for the inconvenience the disruption had caused.

“Unfortunately, our Boeing 787 fleet has been impacted by a number of issues, including a lightning strike, a bird strike, damage from an item on the runway and delays sourcing a specific spare part for one of our aircraft due to global supply chain challenges. The part has to be road freighted across the US.

Jetstar said 200 passengers were still looking for alternative flights. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

“Our teams are looking at every option to get passengers on their way as soon as possible, including seats on Qantas flights and operating ad-hoc services where possible.

“The majority of impacted passengers have now been re-accommodated on an alternative flight and our teams are working hard to find the remaining impacted passengers an alternative flight.

“A flight credit or refund will also be made available to passengers who no longer wish to travel.”

Jetstar’s fleet has been impacted by numerous issues that required engineering work, including a lightning strike, a bird strike, and delays sourcing a specific spare part for one of the aircraft due to global supply chain challenges.

The airline has 26 flights scheduled from Australia to Bali from Monday to Thursday.

A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson said they were ready to help any Australians who need assistance.

“The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is aware of media reports of Jetstar flight cancellations in Bali,” they said.

“DFAT stands ready to offer consular assistance to any Australian citizen should they request it.”