I am really sorry that I haven't been on for a while. I have been really busy with work.
Gee, I do hope to escape the rat race soon! It's been a crazy of couple of months, finding balance between home and work, so let me catch you up...
We got FREE tickets from Jetstar!
I have planned our diving holidays since July 2015 and it was somewhat of a disappointment. It was a disappointment because my darling husband have some immigrations reasons due to passport validity!
So, even after pleading with the immigration officer, they want my husband to take the next plane back to Singapore. As the saying goes, the family that stays together stays together, so we all decided to cancel this holiday and go back, but unfortunately because of limited flights to Singapore, we were at the Ngurah Rai airport till we were boarded at 18:45..... (Yes, this is totally a nightmare!)
I do admit that this was a costly mistake and it is our responsibility to check the travel documents before travelling. However, I am only human and I cannot help to be upset with what happen. So, as soon as I arrived at home, l write a letter to Jetstar and here it goes:
Letter was sent 24 September 2015
To Jetstar Airlines / Jetstar Customer Service
I am writing in regards to a very unforgettable experience we had yesterday.
I have planned this holiday since last July and it was somewhat of a disappointment.
It was a disappointment because my husband was not allowed to exit the immigration due to immigration reasons, we were at the Ngurah Rai airport till we were boarded at 18:45..
We have booked our plane tickets last 31 July 2015, Booking Reference No ____, flight details:
23 Sep 2015 Singapore to Bali at 4:05 am
28 Sep 2015 Bali to Singapore at 19:15 pm
This letter is not a complaint but rather a compliment to Jetstar Airlines for keeping their 10 points
Jetstar Customer Guarantee.
I also want to give some comments on areas that Jetstar might have overlooked and provide feedback as a customer on how to further improve your services.
Because my letter is lengthy and might bored you, I will outline this letter using bullet points, hopefully I can communicate my message efficiently, I would like to compliment Jetstar Airlines for keeping its promises and commitments as mentioned in your 10 points Customer Guarantees,
You have mentioned that:
1) Your safety is our highest priority
We are happy that we are able to touch down Denpasar Airport (Ngurah Rai Airport) safely,
though the flight has been delayed for 1 hour, getting there safely is what matters most.
2) We commit to provide the lowest fares with our ‘Price Beat Guarantee’*
Prior to booking with your airlines, I wanted to try and fly Garuda Indonesia because of their active advertising, recent promotions and the time flexibility that works for us, but because we are going on a group, I have decided to fly with Jetstar airlines so we can go all together.
Indeed Jetstar has offered the lowest fares, I have paid a total of S$1,368.00. (3 adults and 1 kid)
My only comment was payment has to be made at SP services to get this price, because if I pay using credit card, there will be additional admin charges, basically what is reflected in their screen is not a really cheap, as you have to pay for checked in luggage (if you have), meals, and the admin charges.
Looking at this, I hope Jetstar can look into this, I hope there will be no further admin charges if we pay Mastercard/visa.
I feel it defeats the purpose of booking online, you book because it is convenient and hassle free,
but in order for us to get the price without any additional charges, we have to go all the way to Singapore post to queue and pay. I think this area can further improve.
3. Our team are always here to help, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
While being held inside the Bali Airport (Ngurah Rai), immigration has asked Jetstar Airlines Indonesia to assist us in anyway possible.Though it was not good to hear from Jetstar Indonesia saying that Jetstar Singapore should be penalised by the Indonesian Government for bringing passengers to Bali that obviously will be denied of entry and not doing a thorough check before checking in. They have mentioned that Jetstar Singapore has been negligent about this case.
Jetstar Indonesia has been helpful, and has tried their best to assist us but because there are limited flights going to Singapore, we were able to board the plane at 18:45, very tiring but happy to be back in Singapore. I just wish that if an airline can't get you a destination on time, it is required to put you on a competitor's flight if it would get you there faster than your original airlines next flight.
One thing that I want to highlight is that I hope the Jetstar will continue to improve its training by providing such courses such as "How to effectively communicate to Customers". The staff has promised to provide us some food but it never came. Maybe it is a language barrier that I have not fully understand the staff or maybe it was tiredness. But this issue was not a big deal to us since the airport has a lot of restaurants, it is the act, when you said something, you have to deliver.
4. We’ll let you know your choices if your flight is changed before you travel
As mentioned earlier, the flight has been delayed for 1 hour but we are aware of it, we received a notification at 22:16, (please refer to the attached screenshot)that our flight has been delayed and our new departure time is 5am. I think the notification is long enough to make necessary arrangements e.g. cab booking, etc. But it will be better if all the passengers has received the notification and not only the one who is registered which in this case, is my husband.
Last April, we have experienced flight delay with PAL (Philippine Airlines), and they have sent us an email, sms and a call informing us on the delay. I hope that Jetstar and look into this type of service, can be very expensive for the company but I think the act is very customer centric.
5. We’ll keep you updated and provide options if things don’t go to plan on the day
Booking online is the fastest and convenient way to buy tickets, but because of the busy schedule, most of the time, we tend to overlooked some very important details like your passport validity/expiry, especially when you are booking for others. Nowadays, when you book online, you do not need to input your passport details compared to others and because of this I have overlooked my husband passport details. And when we checked in, the staff didn't highlight to us as well until my husband has been refused to enter to Bali by the immigration.
but in order for us to get the price without any additional charges, we have to go all the way to Singapore post to queue and pay. I think this area can further improve.
3. Our team are always here to help, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
While being held inside the Bali Airport (Ngurah Rai), immigration has asked Jetstar Airlines Indonesia to assist us in anyway possible.Though it was not good to hear from Jetstar Indonesia saying that Jetstar Singapore should be penalised by the Indonesian Government for bringing passengers to Bali that obviously will be denied of entry and not doing a thorough check before checking in. They have mentioned that Jetstar Singapore has been negligent about this case.
Jetstar Indonesia has been helpful, and has tried their best to assist us but because there are limited flights going to Singapore, we were able to board the plane at 18:45, very tiring but happy to be back in Singapore. I just wish that if an airline can't get you a destination on time, it is required to put you on a competitor's flight if it would get you there faster than your original airlines next flight.
One thing that I want to highlight is that I hope the Jetstar will continue to improve its training by providing such courses such as "How to effectively communicate to Customers". The staff has promised to provide us some food but it never came. Maybe it is a language barrier that I have not fully understand the staff or maybe it was tiredness. But this issue was not a big deal to us since the airport has a lot of restaurants, it is the act, when you said something, you have to deliver.
4. We’ll let you know your choices if your flight is changed before you travel
As mentioned earlier, the flight has been delayed for 1 hour but we are aware of it, we received a notification at 22:16, (please refer to the attached screenshot)that our flight has been delayed and our new departure time is 5am. I think the notification is long enough to make necessary arrangements e.g. cab booking, etc. But it will be better if all the passengers has received the notification and not only the one who is registered which in this case, is my husband.
Last April, we have experienced flight delay with PAL (Philippine Airlines), and they have sent us an email, sms and a call informing us on the delay. I hope that Jetstar and look into this type of service, can be very expensive for the company but I think the act is very customer centric.
5. We’ll keep you updated and provide options if things don’t go to plan on the day
Booking online is the fastest and convenient way to buy tickets, but because of the busy schedule, most of the time, we tend to overlooked some very important details like your passport validity/expiry, especially when you are booking for others. Nowadays, when you book online, you do not need to input your passport details compared to others and because of this I have overlooked my husband passport details. And when we checked in, the staff didn't highlight to us as well until my husband has been refused to enter to Bali by the immigration.
I hope that in the future, Jetstar can add in this measure when we book tickets online, I think that's an important step to further enhance the safety and security of the passengers.
6. You will get what you paid for
Yes, this is the good thing about budget airlines, you have a choice when it comes to food, our money is well spent because we made a choice for something that we want and please send my compliments to the chef because I have ordered chicken curry and it was great!
7. You can have confidence in how quickly we will respond to an issue
Upon arrival at Changi Airport yesterday, we immediately went to the Ticketing service Row 3 at the
Departure Area because I want to ask what is the normal procedure of checkin in and why the staff didn't inform us or has allowed a passenger with a passport that has a validity period of less than 6months to travel.
Though it was our responsibility to check these important documents, I felt that Jetstar Singapore has a shortcomings / negligence on this part. I think it is a responsibility of Jetstar Singapore of not allowing the passenger to travel if in the first place they will be denied of entry.Though I have expressed my frustrations and comments to the person in charge (which I forgot his name) he has responded me well.
In the future, I do hope that Jetstar should do a thorough check as part of their normal process during the check in to alert the passenger about the passport expiry.And if in the event that Jetstar has allowed the passenger to travel, it is the responsibility of the passenger to take its own risk when he arrive to his destination.
8. You can have confidence in how quickly we will refund your money
Following my letter to Jetstar last 2013, Jetstar has responded to my complaint and in fact has given me a 50 dollar voucher but unfortunately, was never used. It shows the Jetstar is willing to spend for the customers.
9. We share your passion for protecting our environment
I am willing to support companies who are working towards protecting the environment, but sometimes saying is not enough, you have to practice it, it will be good if Jetstar toiletries (the one found in the toiler) such as soaps are environmentally friendly using biodegradable ingredients so they can be safely used by anyone, children, with sensitive skin, etc.
10. We commit to the privacy of your personal information
I hope that Jetstar will continue its promise on the privacy.
This was a very sad, gruesome, unpleasant experience because we were held in the airport for 12 hours, and this is not very easy especially when you are travelling with a toddler. Indeed, a very costly lesson for us because we cannot claim for all the expenses -- all the hotel bookings, our advance diving courses has been paid in advance.
We have saved money for few months to make this trip happen but unfortunately, not all the time luck is on our side. I felt that it could have been avoided if the Jetstar ground staff was enough vigilant but anyway, I still compliment Jetstar for keeping its promises and customer guarantees.
We will still definitely will fly again Jetstar airlines, but maybe not so soon because we need to save money. But I do wish that hopefully, Jetstar can giving us another chance to fly to Bali for free. So that my husband will stop blaming himself that this trip never happened.
Best Wishes for 2015.
6. You will get what you paid for
Yes, this is the good thing about budget airlines, you have a choice when it comes to food, our money is well spent because we made a choice for something that we want and please send my compliments to the chef because I have ordered chicken curry and it was great!
7. You can have confidence in how quickly we will respond to an issue
Upon arrival at Changi Airport yesterday, we immediately went to the Ticketing service Row 3 at the
Departure Area because I want to ask what is the normal procedure of checkin in and why the staff didn't inform us or has allowed a passenger with a passport that has a validity period of less than 6months to travel.
Though it was our responsibility to check these important documents, I felt that Jetstar Singapore has a shortcomings / negligence on this part. I think it is a responsibility of Jetstar Singapore of not allowing the passenger to travel if in the first place they will be denied of entry.Though I have expressed my frustrations and comments to the person in charge (which I forgot his name) he has responded me well.
In the future, I do hope that Jetstar should do a thorough check as part of their normal process during the check in to alert the passenger about the passport expiry.And if in the event that Jetstar has allowed the passenger to travel, it is the responsibility of the passenger to take its own risk when he arrive to his destination.
8. You can have confidence in how quickly we will refund your money
Following my letter to Jetstar last 2013, Jetstar has responded to my complaint and in fact has given me a 50 dollar voucher but unfortunately, was never used. It shows the Jetstar is willing to spend for the customers.
9. We share your passion for protecting our environment
I am willing to support companies who are working towards protecting the environment, but sometimes saying is not enough, you have to practice it, it will be good if Jetstar toiletries (the one found in the toiler) such as soaps are environmentally friendly using biodegradable ingredients so they can be safely used by anyone, children, with sensitive skin, etc.
10. We commit to the privacy of your personal information
I hope that Jetstar will continue its promise on the privacy.
This was a very sad, gruesome, unpleasant experience because we were held in the airport for 12 hours, and this is not very easy especially when you are travelling with a toddler. Indeed, a very costly lesson for us because we cannot claim for all the expenses -- all the hotel bookings, our advance diving courses has been paid in advance.
We have saved money for few months to make this trip happen but unfortunately, not all the time luck is on our side. I felt that it could have been avoided if the Jetstar ground staff was enough vigilant but anyway, I still compliment Jetstar for keeping its promises and customer guarantees.
We will still definitely will fly again Jetstar airlines, but maybe not so soon because we need to save money. But I do wish that hopefully, Jetstar can giving us another chance to fly to Bali for free. So that my husband will stop blaming himself that this trip never happened.
Best Wishes for 2015.
Yours sincerely,
9 to 6 Mom
9 to 6 Mom
When it comes to contacting Jetstar, they really respond fast, in fact they have given us already vouchers and I am just happy to received it.
But wait there's more....
But wait there's more....
Thank you Jetstar!
Now, off for our next trip.....can't wait to fly with Jetstar again!
