Peter Lindsay (Herbert, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week I was criticised by DPS Broadcasting for not using a microphone, so I will confirm that the microphone is on. I received some really average customer service last Sunday night. I was on a late-night flight from Townsville on Jetstar. Jetstar are quite often late, and often very late, in and out of Townsville. Because it was a late departure I wanted to make sure that I could ring ahead or find out if the flight was on time. I had a look at some earlier flights to use as an example and then rang Jetstar and asked, ‘Can you tell me whether this flight departed on time?’ They said, ‘Actually, it departed an hour ago and has already landed.’ And I said, ‘But it hasn’t left yet, so how could it have done that?’ They clearly did not know about their own flights.

I then went to their website to have a look, and the website said, ‘We do not recognise that flight number,’ even though it was flying at the time. It was quite extraordinary. So I rang Jetstar back again and said, ‘Look, I can’t get it on your website and I can’t get you to tell me about it; perhaps you can help me on the plane.’ I had a seat allocation but I wanted to see if I could get in the exit row. It actually costs a few more dollars to sit in the exit row, but it was a long flight and I needed to work on my laptop, and it is just more convenient and easier—and you are not so squashed—in that row. They said, ‘No, your seat’s been allocated; you can’t change.’ But you know what? When I got on the plane, there was a vacant seat in the exit row. I wanted to pay some more money for it, but they said I could not change. What kind of a business are they running? It is just extraordinary. Ultimately, I found out if the plane was on time. And you know how I did it? I rang Qantas. I rang Qantas at Melbourne airport and I said, ‘Could you look at the monitor and see if JQ918 has departed on time?’ The Qantas staff were very, very helpful. They said, ‘Absolutely; it’s right.’

The story ends well, though, because the plane did in fact arrive on time. We departed, flew to Melbourne and arrived a quarter of an hour early—at, I think, about 11 o’clock at night. So, Jetstar, have a look at how you do business with your customers. By the way, I did ask them if they could give me the phone number of the local Townsville airport Jetstar counter, and they said: ‘Oh, Mr Lindsay, of course not. We don’t want customers ringing Townsville.’ Just extraordinary! So I am a committed Qantas and Virgin supporter; I am not so certain about Jetstar.