By Patrick Hatch and Billie Eder
Jetstar has been operating with half its long-haul fleet out of service because of maintenance and engineering issues, contributing to widespread cancellations that have affected thousands of customers’ international travel plans.
The Qantas-owned budget airline has cancelled eight return services from Sydney and Melbourne to Bali since September 1, plus more from Thailand and Japan, and has been unable to offer some customers new flights home more than a week after their original travel dates.
About 4000 customers had flights to and from Bali cancelled, and about 180 of them were yet to accept alternative flights from the Indonesian holiday island, Jetstar said on Tuesday.
Jetstar operates 11 Boeing 787 Dreamliners and has confirmed five of them are currently out of service. A sixth jet, which was grounded after hitting a bird, returned to service on Saturday.
The grounded planes include a 787 that was hit by a freak lightning strike on a flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on May 7 and sustained extensive damage to its fuselage.
Jetstar said at the time that it expected the aircraft to be grounded for six to eight weeks, but it remains out of service 3½ months later.
The carrier said another plane was damaged after hitting an item on a runway, while there have been delays in sourcing a spare part from the US due to supply chain constraints. Two more jets have been grounded for scheduled maintenance.
A spokesperson said one aircraft would return to service by the end of Tuesday and that the airline was “working hard to get the remaining aircraft back in the air as quickly as possible”, with most expected back by the end of next week.
“We sincerely apologise for the frustration and inconvenience this disruption has caused our customers,” Jetstar said.
“Our teams are working hard to get passengers on their way as soon as possible. We are putting on five special services to bring people home and booking seats on Qantas flights also.”
The budget carrier’s woes are the latest blow to the Qantas Group after a shocking run of customer service issues that have damaged its reputation as travel demand bounces back post-pandemic.
Two weeks ago, Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce apologised to customers for widespread delays, cancellations of flights and lost baggage, which he said were caused by staff shortages. The airline laid off about 8000 employees – close to a third of its workforce – when COVID-19 grounded its operations.
The ABC’s Four Corners reported on Monday night that some Qantas employees and unions were concerned that cost-cutting was putting its reputation for safety at risk.
Airport chaos could worsen next week when workers from baggage-handling company Dnata, a contractor to Qantas and more than a dozen other international airlines, prepare for a 24-hour strike on September 12.
Jetstar is offering passengers a daily allowance of up to $150 per hotel room and $30 per person for food while they are stranded overseas. The airline was scheduled to operate 26 flights from Bali to Australia between Monday and Thursday.
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