Jetstar passengers forced to return duty free items
Jetstar passengers on a last-minute cancelled flight from New Zealand were forced to return their duty-free items as they left the airport.
UK passenger Molly told Stuff she was already through security at Auckland International Airport when a timetable sign showed that her flight had been cancelled, 40 minutes before it was due to take off.
She said she was then met with 180 other confused and frustrated passengers waiting for the now cancelled flight, as well as two Jetstar staff, with one being a trainee.
“Staff walked the passengers back through security, but it was clear they didn’t know what they were doing,” Molly said to Stuff.
Jetstar notification not received, passenger claims
While a spokesperson for Jetstar told the local publication they had sent out a text and email to the stranded passengers two hours before the flight, Molly said the message was not received by passengers until an hour after the flight had been cancelled, with some not even receiving it at all.
According to her, not even the guard waiting on the other side of the security gates was notified, who reportedly told off Jetstar staff for not letting security know that the flight had been cancelled.
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"Passengers would not have been allowed through had security been told," she said to Stuff.
They were however alerted to return their duty-free items before leaving.
The spokesperson for Jetstar said it's a government requirement to return duty-free goods, but passengers could repurchase the items prior to their rescheduled flight.
Molly was able to move her connecting flights with United Airlines from Sydney for free, but heard from others who spent thousands to rebook their flights. She was rebooked onto a Jetstar flight the next morning and provided with a hotel room in Auckland and a food voucher.
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