Karl Stefanovic outraged after Jetstar allegedly mistreats his teenage daughter
- Replies 9
We can all relate to frustrating travel conundrums, especially during the holiday season. Long lines, overbooked flights, and delays are just some of the many hassles that can make our blood boil when we're trying to catch a flight.
But for Today Show host Karl Stefanovic, a recent incident with budget airline Jetstar has left him seeing red.
The Channel 9 personality told his co-host, Allison Langdon, that during a flight from the Sunshine Coast, his 17-year-old daughter Ava was 500 grams over the carry-on limit.
When she asked if she could unload an item from her suitcase into her handbag, she was denied in what Mr Stefanovic described as a ‘rude’ response by airline staff.
Karl slammed the airline for being ‘rude’ to his daughter. Source: journalbreak.com
‘So she could take something out and throw it out, but she couldn’t take it out and wear it?’ Langdon questioned, visibly irked by the situation.
‘No, she asked if she could put it in her handbag. The Jetstar staff said, “If you want to throw your handbag out.” It was so rude – So rude.’
‘That made my daughter, who is only 17, feel completely intimidated.’ he continued.
It is understood that Ms Stefanovic was required to pay a fee for the extra 500 grams of baggage she had in her carry-on.
According to the airline, Economy Starter, Starter Plus, and Starter Max passengers are allowed a main item and a small item, with a combined weight of no more than 7 kilograms.
For a business class fare, passengers can bring one main item and a small item with a combined weight of no more than 14 kilograms.
In a different episode, Mr Stefanovic divulged that his flight to the Sunshine Coast was cancelled six hours before it was due to leave last week.
‘I think airports all around Australia have huge lines. Everyone accepts now that things are a bit more difficult and challenging.’ he said.
Travelling has been challenging for many after recent cancellations. Source: The Australian
‘But Jetstar needs to improve communications. Their staff on the ground are facing enormous pressure. Unfortunately, they haven’t cleaned up their “room” yet and there are still passengers that like you out there.’
In a statement, Jetstar responded to the controversial issue, saying: ‘We always strive to ensure our passengers have a safe and enjoyable journey when travelling with us. We apologise to Ms Stefanovic if this was not her experience and have reached out to her to look into the issue further.’
Both incidents followed after the airline issued a public apology earlier in the week as passengers were left stranded in Japan and Bali when two Boeing 787s were sidelined last month.
‘We know we haven’t delivered to the customer expectation,’ Jetstar Chief Operating Officer Matthew Franzi stated at the time.
‘We honestly do understand it has been hard, frustrating, and disappointing.’ Cabin Manager Catherine Barker added.
Jetstar struggles to keep up with the peak season. Source: Yahoo! News
A Jetstar spokesperson then announced that all of the airline’s Boeing 787s are back in full service.
‘Our teams have been working incredibly hard to get these aircraft back in the air, with the 787s impacted by the lightning strike and damage from debris on the runway requiring complex repairs,’ they said.
‘To help manage the disruptions during the repair process we added special services and put customers on other airlines to get people home, sent engineering and customer teams around our network to support people on the ground, and developed creative and resourceful processes in sourcing spare parts as a result of global supply chain issues.’
‘To further support our operations, we’ve also hired more people across all areas of our business, created a buffer between services by revising our boarding process, and added more crew on standby as well as team members in our operations centre to help manage unexpected issues.’
‘We never want to cancel or delay a flight, but we will always prioritise safety. It has been a really frustrating time for customers recently and we sincerely apologise to those who have had their travel plans disrupted, especially during the school holidays.’
What are your thoughts about Jetstar’s services? Do you agree that the staff mistreated Ms Stefanovic or are you on the airline’s side? Let us know in the comments.
Watch Jetstar’s recent apology below:
Source: 9News Australia
But for Today Show host Karl Stefanovic, a recent incident with budget airline Jetstar has left him seeing red.
The Channel 9 personality told his co-host, Allison Langdon, that during a flight from the Sunshine Coast, his 17-year-old daughter Ava was 500 grams over the carry-on limit.
When she asked if she could unload an item from her suitcase into her handbag, she was denied in what Mr Stefanovic described as a ‘rude’ response by airline staff.
Karl slammed the airline for being ‘rude’ to his daughter. Source: journalbreak.com
‘So she could take something out and throw it out, but she couldn’t take it out and wear it?’ Langdon questioned, visibly irked by the situation.
‘No, she asked if she could put it in her handbag. The Jetstar staff said, “If you want to throw your handbag out.” It was so rude – So rude.’
‘That made my daughter, who is only 17, feel completely intimidated.’ he continued.
It is understood that Ms Stefanovic was required to pay a fee for the extra 500 grams of baggage she had in her carry-on.
According to the airline, Economy Starter, Starter Plus, and Starter Max passengers are allowed a main item and a small item, with a combined weight of no more than 7 kilograms.
For a business class fare, passengers can bring one main item and a small item with a combined weight of no more than 14 kilograms.
In a different episode, Mr Stefanovic divulged that his flight to the Sunshine Coast was cancelled six hours before it was due to leave last week.
‘I think airports all around Australia have huge lines. Everyone accepts now that things are a bit more difficult and challenging.’ he said.
Travelling has been challenging for many after recent cancellations. Source: The Australian
‘But Jetstar needs to improve communications. Their staff on the ground are facing enormous pressure. Unfortunately, they haven’t cleaned up their “room” yet and there are still passengers that like you out there.’
In a statement, Jetstar responded to the controversial issue, saying: ‘We always strive to ensure our passengers have a safe and enjoyable journey when travelling with us. We apologise to Ms Stefanovic if this was not her experience and have reached out to her to look into the issue further.’
Both incidents followed after the airline issued a public apology earlier in the week as passengers were left stranded in Japan and Bali when two Boeing 787s were sidelined last month.
‘We know we haven’t delivered to the customer expectation,’ Jetstar Chief Operating Officer Matthew Franzi stated at the time.
‘We honestly do understand it has been hard, frustrating, and disappointing.’ Cabin Manager Catherine Barker added.
Jetstar struggles to keep up with the peak season. Source: Yahoo! News
A Jetstar spokesperson then announced that all of the airline’s Boeing 787s are back in full service.
‘Our teams have been working incredibly hard to get these aircraft back in the air, with the 787s impacted by the lightning strike and damage from debris on the runway requiring complex repairs,’ they said.
‘To help manage the disruptions during the repair process we added special services and put customers on other airlines to get people home, sent engineering and customer teams around our network to support people on the ground, and developed creative and resourceful processes in sourcing spare parts as a result of global supply chain issues.’
‘To further support our operations, we’ve also hired more people across all areas of our business, created a buffer between services by revising our boarding process, and added more crew on standby as well as team members in our operations centre to help manage unexpected issues.’
‘We never want to cancel or delay a flight, but we will always prioritise safety. It has been a really frustrating time for customers recently and we sincerely apologise to those who have had their travel plans disrupted, especially during the school holidays.’
What are your thoughts about Jetstar’s services? Do you agree that the staff mistreated Ms Stefanovic or are you on the airline’s side? Let us know in the comments.
Watch Jetstar’s recent apology below:
Source: 9News Australia