With the option of hopping between countless breathtaking locations and must-visit spots in Australia, it's not surprising that domestic travel is beloved by many. However, as we all know, even the best of plans can go awry.

That's exactly what happened to one Perth mum, Kasey Collins, who had meticulously organised a four-day holiday to Hamilton Island to celebrate her daughter's 19th birthday last month.

Kasey's daughter was diagnosed with a genetic disease early in her life. When reflecting on her daughter's journey, Kasey told Yahoo News Australia, 'When she was born, I was pretty much told 20 was going to be her life expectancy.'

Kasey Collins and her daughter are pursuing compensation from Jetstar following a troublesome flight incident that left them financially impacted and robbed them of a day from their holiday. Image by ramonkagie from Unsplash

Understandably, the occasion was momentous for both mother and daughter. 'She's very healthy at the moment…but leading up to that [age] gives me a little anxiety.' she admitted.

So, Collins thought it was the perfect time to go all out for her daughter's birthday—and all out she went! Their planned journey involved a cross-country flight with a connection in Melbourne before reaching their final destination, Hamilton Island.

As seasoned travellers know, things can and do change, and this trip was no exception. A month before their departure, Jetstar notified Kasey of an amended departure time a month before their departure, leaving the pair with a worryingly tight window between flights.

'I called Jetstar and spoke with a representative who advised that as it was booked as a connecting flight, it wouldn't be a problem.' Kasey recounted.

Still nervous, she reached out a second time to confirm the information, and Jetstar reassured her once more that there would be sufficient time between flights.

With hopes high and excitement bubbling, Kasey and her daughter arrived excitedly at the airport early, only to discover to their horror that they'd missed their connecting flight to Hamilton Island by a mere 13 minutes.

'We were shocked and visibly upset... I was just a mess.' said Kasey, with tears flowing from her eyes at the airport terminal. The devastating blow meant that the pair lost an entire day of their holiday, along with the money spent on accommodation and pre-booked excursions.

Kasey Collins believes that Jetstar has dismissed her claim and shown no willingness to provide any form of compensation. Image from flickr

Adding insult to injury, Kasey's travel insurance claim was denied.

'The lady from the insurance said if we'd have gone to the toilet and missed our flight, they would have given us the money... It says in the insurance if you miss a connection “of no fault of your own” [you should be covered]. This was no fault of our own.'

The claim was labelled as an 'operational missed connection', and Kasey was advised to seek reimbursement from Jetstar. Still, she found herself in a frustrating loop of being referred back to her travel insurance.

'I communicate with Jetstar, and they say, “Claim with your travel insurance”. No one wants to accept responsibility... It's so frustrating.'

Despite Kasey's best efforts to retain all documents to support her claim, she lamented that she was no closer to finding a solution.

Key Takeaways

• A Perth mum named Kasey Collins planned a four-day trip to Hamilton Island for her daughter's 19th birthday but faced troubles with Jetstar.
• Kasey and her daughter missed their flight by 13 minutes due to an amended departure time and were stranded at Melbourne Airport.
• The delay caused them to lose a whole day of their holiday and money spent on accommodations and excursions, with their travel insurance claim denied.
• Kasey is frustrated with the lack of assistance from Jetstar and the insurance company, as neither wants to accept responsibility for the situation.

Jetstar has unfortunately become synonymous with travel nightmares for many passengers. Numerous stories have emerged, sharing the frustrations faced by individuals who have had unpleasant experiences with the airline. Here are a few real-life accounts that highlight the issues encountered when flying with Jetstar:

• 11-hour domestic flight?! Passenger shocked after Jetstar changed her flight plans hours before take-off
• Is Jetstar ruining your travel plans? ACCC exposes their shocking flight cancellation record
• Travel horror story! Jetstar passengers reveal shocking details of their 'nightmare flight'

This story serves as a reminder to always double-check your travel plans and be prepared for any unexpected detours. We can only hope that Kasey and her daughter find a resolution soon and wish them the best in their future travels.

Members, what's your worst travel nightmare experience with an airline? Share your stories and let us know your thoughts on the challenges faced by passengers like Kasey with Jetstar.

 

[Rhondda@Benji]

Did Jetstar leave early and why weren't they told about your connecting flight? I think it's terrible the way you were treated by them and they should compensate you for the lost day and your accommodation and the pre-booked excursions. They should own up to the fact they got it wrong and stop you going from them to the insurance people.
I also can't see why the insurance people won't pay as this happened through no fault from you. I'd keep fighting this if I was you and maybe let the Newspapers know. I'm sure both parties won't want it going public but you never know.
I wish you the best of luck and Pray that either the Airline or Insurance company see sense and do the right thing by you.

 

[Catherines]

Try a ‘threat’ of going on TV . I did with a particular company who sold my mother (in her late 70s at the time) a broadband offer when she didn’t even have a computer. I just said “Do you want to be on television tomorrow?” They soon enough backed down. Hope you can get compensation for your loss with Jetstar.

We were also on a return flight from Newcastle recently and had our flight changed from a respectable time of 10 something to a ridiculous time of 7:30 am. We would have needed to be at the airport at 5:30am so just told them we wanted a respectable flight next day & we got that; must say though it cost us an extra day’s motel accommodation but we were visiting very close elderly friends so we didn’t make an issue of that cost, but Jetstar changed our flights without any hassle. In hindsight we could have gone down the path of an argument with Jetstar and would probably still be trying to get money back.

 

[KSS]

What relevance to the missed flight is the sob story about the daughter? It seems to me that this is a deliberate inclusion to command more sympathy for the mother and her travel issues.

We are constantly told to leave enough time between connecting flights and it is OUR responsibility to do so. The article does not make it clear whether she booked the flights herself or through a travel agency nor whether the two flights were with the same airline. If not then it is nothing to do with Jetstar. If it was then having been given the new flight details for the first leg, the mother should have changed the timing of the onward flight. She rang twice but seems she did not ask for the onward flight to be changed. She knew the timing was very tight yet did not take any action to mitigate the risk. All it needed was a slightly longer flight time or a slight delay of the first section and she was going to miss the second.

As a result, she does remain at fault and I can understand in this case why neither the airline nor the insurance company would compensate her. The first flight was late due to operational schedules and that is never covered by insurance.

I am sorry for her experience but this just seems like another attempt on social media to whinge when something doesn't go your way.

 

[Rob44]

Just avoid Jetstar. And Qantas. And Virgin. They all mess one around from time to time.

Use Hi-speed Inter-city Rail. It's more comfortable as well.

Oh!

 

[SGH]

When it happen a month before, and she realised it was going to be close, with Jetstar's record I would have been asking to be put onto an earlier flight.

 

[Shane/#]

With the option of hopping between countless breathtaking locations and must-visit spots in Australia, it's not surprising that domestic travel is beloved by many. However, as we all know, even the best of plans can go awry.

That's exactly what happened to one Perth mum, Kasey Collins, who had meticulously organised a four-day holiday to Hamilton Island to celebrate her daughter's 19th birthday last month.

Kasey's daughter was diagnosed with a genetic disease early in her life. When reflecting on her daughter's journey, Kasey told Yahoo News Australia, 'When she was born, I was pretty much told 20 was going to be her life expectancy.'

View attachment 23192

Kasey Collins and her daughter are pursuing compensation from Jetstar following a troublesome flight incident that left them financially impacted and robbed them of a day from their holiday. Image by ramonkagie from Unsplash

Understandably, the occasion was momentous for both mother and daughter. 'She's very healthy at the moment…but leading up to that [age] gives me a little anxiety.' she admitted.

So, Collins thought it was the perfect time to go all out for her daughter's birthday—and all out she went! Their planned journey involved a cross-country flight with a connection in Melbourne before reaching their final destination, Hamilton Island.

As seasoned travellers know, things can and do change, and this trip was no exception. A month before their departure, Jetstar notified Kasey of an amended departure time a month before their departure, leaving the pair with a worryingly tight window between flights.

'I called Jetstar and spoke with a representative who advised that as it was booked as a connecting flight, it wouldn't be a problem.' Kasey recounted.

Still nervous, she reached out a second time to confirm the information, and Jetstar reassured her once more that there would be sufficient time between flights.

With hopes high and excitement bubbling, Kasey and her daughter arrived excitedly at the airport early, only to discover to their horror that they'd missed their connecting flight to Hamilton Island by a mere 13 minutes.

'We were shocked and visibly upset... I was just a mess.' said Kasey, with tears flowing from her eyes at the airport terminal. The devastating blow meant that the pair lost an entire day of their holiday, along with the money spent on accommodation and pre-booked excursions.

View attachment 23193

Kasey Collins believes that Jetstar has dismissed her claim and shown no willingness to provide any form of compensation. Image from flickr

Adding insult to injury, Kasey's travel insurance claim was denied.

'The lady from the insurance said if we'd have gone to the toilet and missed our flight, they would have given us the money... It says in the insurance if you miss a connection “of no fault of your own” [you should be covered]. This was no fault of our own.'

The claim was labelled as an 'operational missed connection', and Kasey was advised to seek reimbursement from Jetstar. Still, she found herself in a frustrating loop of being referred back to her travel insurance.

'I communicate with Jetstar, and they say, “Claim with your travel insurance”. No one wants to accept responsibility... It's so frustrating.'

Despite Kasey's best efforts to retain all documents to support her claim, she lamented that she was no closer to finding a solution.

Key Takeaways

• A Perth mum named Kasey Collins planned a four-day trip to Hamilton Island for her daughter's 19th birthday but faced troubles with Jetstar.
• Kasey and her daughter missed their flight by 13 minutes due to an amended departure time and were stranded at Melbourne Airport.
• The delay caused them to lose a whole day of their holiday and money spent on accommodations and excursions, with their travel insurance claim denied.
• Kasey is frustrated with the lack of assistance from Jetstar and the insurance company, as neither wants to accept responsibility for the situation.

Jetstar has unfortunately become synonymous with travel nightmares for many passengers. Numerous stories have emerged, sharing the frustrations faced by individuals who have had unpleasant experiences with the airline. Here are a few real-life accounts that highlight the issues encountered when flying with Jetstar:

• 11-hour domestic flight?! Passenger shocked after Jetstar changed her flight plans hours before take-off
• Is Jetstar ruining your travel plans? ACCC exposes their shocking flight cancellation record
• Travel horror story! Jetstar passengers reveal shocking details of their 'nightmare flight'

This story serves as a reminder to always double-check your travel plans and be prepared for any unexpected detours. We can only hope that Kasey and her daughter find a resolution soon and wish them the best in their future travels.

Members, what's your worst travel nightmare experience with an airline? Share your stories and let us know your thoughts on the challenges faced by passengers like Kasey with Jetstar.

Jetstar should compensate the traveller as for insurance the bastards love taking your money for Nhill results bloody parasites read the fine print 🖨 if you can and it an't worth wiping you arse with

 

[Catherines]

Jetstar should compensate the traveller as for insurance the bastards love taking your money for Nhill results bloody parasites read the fine print 🖨 if you can and it an't worth wiping you arse with

Now, now - no bad language please. We all know things happen that we don’t agree with but there’s no need to become coarse, more so since this incident didn’t happen to you personally.

I agree, read the fine print but it is so ‘fine’ and legally written in favour of the seller, so what is the alternative? Damned if you do, and damned if you don’t; we all agree it’s the chance we take with anything in life, including walking across the street and hope we don’t get killed.