Jetstar Declines to Refund Tickets for Father and Terminally Ill Boy

1st May 2017

What is wrong with Jetstar? First they don't allow a 5-year-old girl with rheumatoid arthritis to use a pillow for her leg to make her more comfortable, now you don't give a $220 refund for an 11-year-old boy with end-stage cancer and his father.

According to Richard Guy, who works at Lismore Base Hospital as an emergency nurse, he tried to get a refund from Jetstar after his son Miles was diagnosed with cancer and doctors said he would be unfit to travel. However, his pleads fell on deaf ears with Jetstar.

Mr. Guy claims he spend over an hour on phone with Jetstar. First, he was referred to Jetstar's 'Ask Jess' chat feature, which is manned by a robot and then finally a human operator named 'Roda' answered.

Humanity he did not receive as he was refused a refund and instead offered a credit note, which he would have to use within the next six months.

The boy's father said:

"I needed have a medical certificate with Miles' diagnosis on it from the oncologist with the travel dates and all that info on a letter head, and I uploaded that. I don't know if Miles will be able to fly, his prognosis is stage four metastatic cancer. He has spinal metastasis, metastasis in his bones, how would I know I would travel in (six) months' time. It's just not something I want to think about right now."

Mr. Guy said he hoped the carrier would show more compassion to their situation. He continued:

"Roda said I should just be grateful that I am getting a credit for my ticket, because it's not their policy. I think Jetstar is a soulless and heartless corporation, showing that they don't care about human beings. They don't care about anyone else but their bottom line and then to be told to be grateful is just horrible."

He finished by saying that the $220 refund would mean a lot for his family's budget:

"We're living in Brisbane at the moment and I'm not working; the meds and outpatient scans are costing a fortune. $220 to us at the moment is a lot - it's basically enough for us to keep going another week - and to them it's nothing and that why I'm so angry about it. I'm never flying Jetstar again."