Jetstar debacle leaves Aussie mum with 'tears flowing': 'We were shocked'

Kasey Collins had the perfect reason to go "all out" for her daughter's 19th birthday celebrations, making meticulous plans to whisk her away on a four day paradise trip to Hamilton Island last month.

"When she was born I was pretty much told 20 was going to be her life expectancy," the Perth mum told Yahoo News Australia, referring to a genetic disease diagnosis.

"She's very healthy at the moment ... but leading up to that [age] gives me a little anxiety," she explained.

The pair were set to fly across the country and catch a connecting flight through Melbourne, however, they hit a bump in the road one month prior to their journey when Jetstar notified them of an amended departure time, giving the pair a tight window between flights.

"I called Jetstar and spoke with a representative who advised that as it was booked as a connecting flight it wouldn’t be a problem," she said, admitting she was a little "nervous" ahead of the journey and reached out a second time to confirm there was adequate time between flights.

Despite receiving repeated reassurance by the airline and "excitedly" arriving at the airport early, the pair found themselves stranded at Melbourne Airport — missing their flight by 13 minutes.

"We were shocked and visibly upset... I was just a mess," Kasey said, saying there was "tears flowing" from her eyes at the terminal.

'No one wants to accept responsibility'

The delay ended with the pair losing a whole day of their holiday alongside the money spent on their accommodation and booked excursions. Despite having travel insurance, Kasey's claim was denied.

"The lady from the insurance said if we'd have gone to the toilet and missed our flight, they would have given us the money... It says in the insurance if you miss a connection 'of no fault of your own' [you should be covered]. This was no fault of our own."

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The claim was labelled as an 'operational missed connection' and was instead advised to seek reimbursement from the airline, which got her no where.

"I communicate with Jetstar and they say 'claim with your travel insurance'. No one wants to accept responsibility ... It's so frustrating."

Despite Kasey's best efforts and keeping all documents as evidence to back her claim, she shared she is no further forward with finding a solution.

Yahoo News Australia has reached out to Jetstar for comment.

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