Dear TRS
I traveled with Jetstar Asia to Medan from Singapore over CNY period. Right before my trip back, I received notification from the airline that my flight is canceled due to volcanic activity.
All other airlines that flew from Medan to Singapore the same day flew back safely and reported clear skies. While I appreciate Jetstar's focus on safety, delaying passengers for additional 4d3n when my trip was meant to be 3d2n is way too long; especially when they do have daily flights traveling that route. And I will like to add that my "next available flight" was not arranged till a long conversation with their call center.
The airline responded to say they are not reimbursing a single cent for accommodation, laundry nor food for such inconvenience caused. I feel that the minimal they could have done back then was to provide support with securing accommodation or offer discounted rates with their partner hotels.
Their email response (appended below) is almost like a non-response. Just wanted to share my disappointment of their quality of service with the rest of Singaporeans as they plan their next budget travel.
Best regards
Weiling
TRS Reader
Dear Weiling ,
Thank you for contacting Jetstar. I’m sorry to hear about the disruption to your flight from Kualanamu to Singapore on 21 February, 2015.
I can assure you that punctuality is very important to Jetstar, and we put a lot of effort into getting every one of our flights away on time. I know how upsetting it is when things don’t go according to plan, especially if you need to be somewhere at a particular time or are looking forward to a well-earned break.
Unfortunately, we do occasionally have delays or cancellations because of operational requirements, our strict safety standards and situations outside of our control like weather and volcanic activity. While I understand the inconvenience this may cause at times, there is no compromise on safety. Operating requirements vary by aircraft type and we will always follow the appropriate safety measures for our aircraft.
I apologise if you weren’t accurately updated on what was happening with your flight. I know it doesn’t excuse the lack of service, or make up for the frustration you experienced - but please bear in mind that once a flight is delayed or cancelled, it can be hard for us to predict exactly how long the delay will last. The situation with the aircraft or airport can change suddenly or unexpectedly, and there’s always a huge amount of sorting out to be done behind the scenes.
When these kinds of disruptions occur we do our best to assist customers to get to where they need to go as soon as possible whilst safety is still the top priority.
I am glad to see that our Telephone representative was able to get you on the next available flight. You also mentioned that moving the flight 3 days later was too long while another airline did travel to Singapore and back under clear skies. I cannot comment in behalf of other carrier however different flights although of same origin and destination may not be taking the same air route or pathway. And if only possible we don't want our flights cancelled as well.
I understand that you would also like us to reimburse you for some expenses. Unfortunately, I’m not able to provide any reimbursement for you. I understand why you feel you should be compensated, but Jetstar is unable to shoulder any costs incurred if the reason of disruption is uncontrollable such as volcanis activity. If you have travel insurance you may wish to follow this up with your insurer to see if you are able to make a claim.
Thank you for taking the time to write to us and I very much hope we see you again soon, and that things go more smoothly the next time you travel with us.
Yours sincerely,
Ro-an - Jetstar Customer Care Analyst