This is one of the more embarrassing reasons that an airline has operated a flight to nowhere…
Continue reading: Oops: Jetstar’s Embarrassing Bali Flight Blunder
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This is all because customers are not match fit, and absolutely nothing to do with the gross incompetence of Qantas Group management.
See how well Government "regulations" work to protect passengers in other parts of the world?
Given the 4 hour waits at immigration at Bali airport this week, maybe this was a blessing in disguise.
Yikes. I don’t envy the purser who had to get on the PA to explain why they’re returning to Melbourne.
Feel their pain, had this happen once on a United flight in 2011 post merger. Was flying EWR-PVG and 6 hours into the flight we turned back to Newark because ground staff forgot to clean out the waste storage tank. Even had to make an emergency landing in Newfoundland as one of the toilets was having a reversal of fortune. 14 hour flight to nowhere and United's response was to try again 2 hours after landing back at EWR. Needless to say it took me a long while to hop back on a plane with them again.
Yes, I thought that too - but upon further reflection, it's because Jetstar doesn't want to have to accomodate all those passengers in Darwin, thinking instead to fly to where a large number of them live: SYD. That way, no hotel, no meals. Same for the crew. They're being cheap.
If it were me, I'd have much preferred a stop in Darwin to going back to where we started. But this was never about what any of the pax wanted.
Ben, would you please stop saying “flight to nowhere”? All flights go somewhere, even if they return to their departure point. “Flight to nowhere” might have been funny and clever the first time you wrote it years ago, but now it’s just old and cliche.
Authorities in Bali probably learned there were some unmarried couples on the plane.
I still need to understand why can't this airline do an equipment upgrade, especially with two narrow-bodied jets. It's not like the B738 is a whole lot larger than the A321. Why is the government even involved??
You are so sensitive to the point of being silly. If you get worked up by this…I can’t imagine the sum of your other precious sensitivities.
787-8 not 737
Twin Aisle
"Jetstar route is ordinarily operated by an Airbus A321neo, rather than a Boeing 787-8"
Australia and Indonesia have an agreement with a strict monthly limit on the number of passengers to be carried by Australian airlines. With its extra passengers, this flight would have exceeded the limit.
Jetstar is the lowest of the LCCs, a 6 hour delay is nothing out of the ordinary and its customers - like Qantas - are treated with contempt. Also, Melbourne to Bali is too far for a 738 so this flight routinely makes an unscheduled refuelling stop in Darwin.
Angel, you also fail to understand that routes from/to Australia and Indonesia are strictly *capacity-limited (by number of seats)* and monitored, due to the existing bilateral agreement in place between the two countries.
I am not seeking to defend Jetstar ... and their explanation deftly seems to avoid admitting any guilt / fault on their behalf. But for those of us that have been watching, JQ has had a number of 'inconveniences' in Bali of late - resulting in cancelled or substantially delayed flights. The real reason for the B787-8 upgrade may well have been to pick up an excess of people in Bali that had earlier (in the past few days) been 'inconvenienced'. Hmm, a lot of unhappy customers ..
LOL - I see what you did there ! Subtle.
Without question, the comment of the day. Kudos.
I think the point is per Ben’s other posts - is there a need for EU261 type rules to provide compensation to passengers in such situations. Australia does not have this (with Jetstar and its parent Qantas constantly showing complete disregard for travelers). Thus the only way to prevent airlines treating passengers with contempt is to penalize them for doing so.
This law won’t take into affect for another year or so. Also in Indonesia. There’s a law and there’s money. Money speaks. This law is passed to satisfy the conservatives. This is how a proper democracy works compared to USA which is just full of filibusters.
Your content is generally solid, but you need to learn the distinction between further and farther, and end your misuse of the word allegedly. These are not crimes being committed. You would be more accurate to use reportedly, but if you are unable to cite a source.
No excuse as Jetstar should know that they just cannot swop a plane without approval from Indonesian authorities. Maybe Jetstar thought that it is an Australian airline and didn't have to respect Indonesian rules. It could have been worst if the plane had to turnaround and return to Melbourne on arriving at Bali airport.
MEL-DPS is definitely not too far for a B738
Flown this route already on QF without any fuel stop in DRW.