Jetstar has come under fire recently as passengers are left abandoned in airports, a symptom of a larger problem in the flight industry.
The flight industry, including Jetstar, is still absolutely reeling from the seeds they sewed during the pandemic by laying off tens of thousands of workers. Jetstar specifically has come under fire in a recent string of cancellations that have left some passengers stranded in airports for days.
One elderly couple was left waiting at Bangkok airport after their flight was canceled. The couple didn’t speak English and had no means of contacting their family back home.
“It wasn’t until nine hours later that I went to check on the elderly couple to find them in tears not knowing what to do, severely distressed,” Melbourne man Elijah, 35, told NCA NewsWire.
Some Australians have said they are paying up to $100 a day to remain in Indonesia as they wait for flights.
“I just spoke to an operator re: my cancelled Bali to Darwin flight. I am re-booked for Tuesday, which will incur a one day visa overstay fine,” one man from Darwin wrote in a Facebook group about Jetstar.
At least 4000 passengers have been affected by flight cancellations since the beginning of September. The majority of passengers have now made it home, with 200 still waiting for a new flight
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A Jetstar spokesperson has recently spoke on the matter:
“Unfortunately, our Boeing 787 fleet has been impacted by a number of issues, including a lightning strike, a bird strike, damage from an item on the runway and delays sourcing a specific spare part for one of our aircraft due to global supply chain challenges,” they 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,” a Jetstar spokesman told NCA NewsWire last week.
Travelers impacted by cancellations “as a result of operational or engineering issues” are entitled to receive compensation for accommodation up to $150 per room and meals up to $30 per person.
While the Jetstar statement may hold some semblance of truth to it, it doesn’t capture the whole picture. Data from the flight tracking and data platform, FlightAware, is showing that Sydney Airport is ranking among the world’s worst.
Between July and May of 2022, SYD has had 5.9 percent of flights canceled, sixth worst globally; and has had 34.2 percent of flights delayed, which ranks in at ninth worst. Before you have more senseless statistics thrown at you, it’s important to identify what’s causing these problems— corporate greed.
This situation is one that has been in the making over the last several years. Many Australian-based airlines, and airlines in other countries, including Qantas, performed mass layoffs during the pandemic to minimize the loss of profits. Now, in 2022, and flights are beginning to pick up again but the airlines have not followed suit.
Workplace conditions are worsening for the workers who remained after the mass layoffs as flights increase. These conditions include pay disputes and an understaffed workplace, leading many workers to take action in nations all across the world, including Australia. To blame the workers who have endured until now, instead of the corporate mismanagement, would be like blaming firefighters who couldn’t save a burning building instead of the arson who started the fire.
