Jetstar passenger's travel hack to avoid delays, cancellations: 'I was shocked'
A Jetstar passenger has shared his top tip for travelling, to ensure you're not booking a flight that might get cancelled or delayed.
It seems most Australian airlines have been forced to cancel or delay some flights since travel resumed following the pandemic.
One man shared his best flying tip, which is especially important if you're on an international long-haul flight.
He said before you even book the flight — you should check the flight history and see if there is a plan B, just in case.
The Jetstar passenger explained his booking was for September 29, a Jetstar flight from Melbourne to Singapore.
He explained on Facebook he was preparing his things for his flight over the weekend and decided to check the flight history on FlightRadar24 and Flightstats.
"Oh man, I was shocked," he said, noting a series of delays and cancellations on the website.
"Flightstats rated the JQ7 zero stars for the on-time performance."
The man said he has already booked another flight with Qantas and applied for a cancellation and refund with Jetstar.
"This is our first family flying since the Covid pandemic. I won't take the risk to ruin it," he said.
"Avoid Jetstar if possible, if you cannot avoid it, book flexible fare rule tickets, you can't trust Jetstar."
Jetstar seeing 'improvements' to service
In a statement to Yahoo News Australia, a Jetstar spokesperson acknowledged there has been a few issues with the airline's fleet that have resulted in some disruptions.
"Unfortunately, in recent weeks our fleet has been involved in a number of unexpected events including multiple lightning strikes, bird strikes and an aircraft damaged by debris on the runway," the spokesperson said.
"We understand how frustrating disruptions are and sincerely apologise to customers impacted by these unavoidable changes."
The spokesperson added customers impacted by disruptions were re-accommodated "as quickly as possible", including having customers put on additional services or flights with other airlines.
"For customers who need it, we’re covering accommodation and meal costs as well as other reasonable expenses," the spokesperson said.
Jetstar is working around the clock to get the 787's back in the air to accommodate passengers. While the airline is still facing challenges, it is "seeing improvements" the spokesperson said.
What's the deal with FlightRadar24 and Flightstats?
Both the websites the man suggested people use are very handy.
FlightRadar24 is a global flight tracking service. It offers real-time information about flights across the world.
It also allows passengers to see a specific flight's history for up to seven days for free, though by paying a fee you can see a more extensive history.
FlightRadar24 also has information on certain airports, like reviews and ratings and nearby airports.
Flightstats will look at any plane's route you want and give a general overview. Passengers can look to see how many delays there have been and see other user's reviews.
For example, from July 15 to September 15 this year, 85 per cent of flights from Melbourne to Sydney on Jetstar 504 were on time, according to the website.
Only 10 per cent were late and 5 per cent experienced "excessive" delays.
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