Jetstar Bali to Darwin Flight Delayed After a Crew Member Called in Sick

6th Dec 2016

Passengers of a Jetstar flight from Bali to Darwin were left stranded on the island for about 13 hours after a crew member called in sick.

Upon arriving at the airport, the passengers were told their scheduled flight would not be departing for several hours, but were not told why.

A spokeswoman for the Australian carrier said:

"One of the crew members rostered on our flight from Bali to Darwin early this morning was unwell and unfortunately unable to operate on the service. Before check-in for the flight opened we sent an email and text to the contact details provided by the customers, and have provided hotels today during the delay on the flight."

However, one passenger denies Jetstar sent any notification, saying:

"If they did, it failed."

Another passenger, who said he was traveling back home after he and his partner spent a week in Bali said:

"Most people were annoyed actually. The majority of passengers were put up at Airport Novotel. It was the inconvenience of travelling to the airport and Jetstar sending no notification of any description. No text. No email. Novotel staff were excellent and handled the late arrivals very well. Most were checked in by midnight."

The delayed flight was scheduled to depart from Denpasar Airport at 1:00 am per local time and arrive in Darwin at 5:00 am local time.

Jetstar to Stop Pre-Selecting Extras

Meanwhile, following talks with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), Jetstar revealed its plans to stop pre-selecting extras. This decision has been met with approval from the ACCC, who said this was a positive move for Australian consumers.

Rod Sims, ACCC chairman said the following:

"The ACCC has been concerned that the 'opt out' model has seen a number of consumers unintentionally pay for unwanted 'pre-ticked' extras. Jetstar's announcement is another step forward in the ACCC's continuing effort to end pre-selection conduct in the Australian airline industry."

He added:

"The ACCC will continue to engage with the remaining domestic airlines that still pre-select extras, and urge them to follow suit. The ACCC will also turn its attention to international airlines operating within Australia which continue to pre-select extras."