Jetstar Customer in Shock as Flight Credits Expire: Jetstar Under Fire
In a surprising turn of events, a Jetstar customer recently discovered that their flight credits had expired, despite being previously assured by the airline that there would be no deadline to use them. Jennifer Hewett, an Australian Financial Review columnist, received an email on August 24 informing her and her partner that their $290 worth of flight vouchers would expire on September 6.
This news came as a shock, especially considering that Jetstar and Qantas had just announced that they would no longer impose a deadline for Australians to claim their flight credits accumulated during the Covid pandemic. Both airlines had a total of $570 million in owed flight credits to their customers but had initially given them until the end of December to utilize them.
The change meant that customers whose flights were canceled prior to October 2021 would be able to retain their flight credits indefinitely. However, when Hewett attempted to use her vouchers online, she was met with a message stating that they had expired.
Jetstar quickly responded, claiming that it was a one-off error and that the flight credits would indeed not expire. Unfortunately, Hewett found herself caught in a back-and-forth with the airline as she sought to rectify the mistake. During a phone call with a Jetstar representative, she was asked to provide proof that the original booking had been made during the Covid period. Frustrated, she requested to speak to a manager, but the call was abruptly disconnected.
Upon calling back, Hewett was informed that the vouchers could only be used if the original booking details could be verified. Jetstar later clarified that the vouchers were not set to expire and that the request for Hewett’s original flight details was solely for identity verification purposes.
A Jetstar spokesperson apologized for the error, assuring that this was an isolated incident. They stated, “Jetstar Covid vouchers can be extended indefinitely, and we apologize for the error made by our contact center agent in this instance. We will be providing additional training to the agent and have issued a reminder to our contact center about our COVID voucher policy.”
The backlog of travel credits amassed during the Covid-19 pandemic has been a significant challenge for both Jetstar and Qantas. In senate hearings last month, Jetstar CEO Stephanie Tully revealed that the budget airline was holding $100 million in flight credits. This has made it difficult to contact customers and encourage them to utilize their credits, especially considering that approximately 50% of the credit holders have less than $100 in unused vouchers.
In addition to the flight credit issue, Qantas has faced various scandals, including trying to block additional flights from Qatar Airways, granting preferential treatment to the Prime Minister’s son, posting record profits despite receiving substantial JobKeeper benefits, and facing customer complaints filed with the ACCC over canceled flights. These controversies ultimately led to the early resignation of former Qantas CEO Alan Joyce.
Despite these challenges, both Jetstar and Qantas have committed to addressing the flight credit backlog and ensuring that customers can use their vouchers without any further issues. It remains to be seen how they will navigate this situation and regain the trust of their passengers.
Denial of responsibility! Vigour Times is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
