Holiday makers in Perth have been left devastated after Jetstar cancelled a series of direct flights to Bali for three days in a row.
The first Indonesian flight cancelled this week was set to leave at 6:50am on Sunday, but passengers were notified of the cancellation just hours before departure. Jetstar cited “operational reasons”.
The same PER-DPS route was cancelled on Monday and Tuesday morning, too. The flight that was scheduled to leave Perth for Bali at 6:50am this morning has been delayed until 4:30pm today, at the time of writing.
A Perth family, who had been planning their getaway to Bali for three years, shared their devastation over the cancellation with 9News.
“It’s [the holiday] been a long time coming — and that’s probably what’s made it even worse…They’re destroying people’s holidays…We work hard to go on these holidays and it’s just heartless.”
Between now and July 19th, Jetstar only has two available flights and both are well over the $1,000 mark for a one way trip – which is about five times the normal price. Budget airline competitor has all of it’s direct flights from Perth to Bali booked out until Saturday.
And, the flight cancellations connected to the Indonesian island aren’t the only problem Perth airport dwellers are experiencing. Every single one of the 18,000 parking bays available to book at the WA airport are full, with an airport representative telling travellers to catch a taxi.
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“A surge in demand means that no further online bookings will be available for bookings starting in the next 72 hours,” the airport spokesperson said.
“Passengers are advised to plan in advance and book parking online at least a week prior to their trip to secure a parking bay and to access the best available rate.
“Those travelling in the next few days should consider taxi or ride share options to get to the airport.”
The “unprecedented demand” has been chalked down to a combination of upset passengers being bumped to other flights to Bali, school holidays and copious FIFO-related bookings.
For more on this topic, follow the Travel Observer.
