Retiree vents after Jetstar ticket bungle at Sunshine Coast Airport

A Noosa retiree caught up in a ticket debacle at the Sunshine Coast Airport wants to know what Jetstar has changed after a man claimed his seat without a boarding pass.

A Jetstar passenger who lost his seat on a plane to man without a boarding pass says he is “disappointed” at what he claims is the airline’s inaction since the incident.

Tewantin resident Gary Kendrick was with his wife, Terri, on the May 9 flight from the Sunshine Coast to Sydney that was held up for more than five hours after a man boarded the plane without a ticket.

He said the man was in his seat and, when he asked the man to move, it soon became evident the man did not have a boarding pass.

All passengers eventually had to disembark the plane and go back through security before waiting again for their flight.

Mr Kendrick said the flight attendant handled the situation well but he was concerned by the incident.

Gary and Terri Kendrick are frequent travellers to Sydney and Mr Kendrick is disappointed in Jetstar following a situation with a man who boarded a flight to Sydney without a ticket. Picture: Patrick Woods.

The retiree said he and his wife flew to Sydney once a month to visit their grandchildren and they were used to the odd 30-minute delay but this was different.

“Disappointed is the word,” he said.

Jetstar passenger Gary Kendrick says he is disappointed with Jetstar following an incident that left him stranded at the Sunshine Coast Airport for more than five hours.

“The grandkids were so upset as they had to go to bed without seeing Nanny and Papa as we were so late arriving.”

Mr Kendrick said he had not received any follow-up email regarding the incident or even a food or drink voucher from airline while waiting for the flight.

He said asking for compensation was a “pain not worth the gain” but he did want to know if Jetstar had changed its boarding protocols.

“Have they done anything different? I don’t know,” Mr Kendrick said.

A Jetstar passenger who was caught up in a recent boarding pass debacle wants to know if Jetstar has changed its protocols. Photo: Lachie Millard

At the Sunshine Coast Airport, airlines manage the checking and monitoring of passengers boarding their planes.

A Jetstar spokeswoman said the airline was “really sorry” to hear about the customer’s experience and it would “take on board” the feedback and review its communications.

“We have strict procedures to ensure all customers have a valid boarding pass for our flights and as soon as we became aware of this incident, we launched an urgent investigation into the situation,” she said.

“We have reminded our teams about correct boarding procedures to ensure this doesn’t happen again.

“We sincerely apologise to customers for the impact to their journey.”

A Queensland Police Service spokesman said an investigation into the incident was ongoing.

Originally published as Retiree vents after Jetstar ticket bungle at Sunshine Coast Airport