JETSTAR - Never Ever Again !!

[NYCguy]

I concur with the idea of NOT drugging infants/toddlers on long flights - many of the old-fashioned antihistamines that parents turn to when planning a trip leave you with a drowsy, cranky toddler when they wear off. My brother (a cardiothoracic surgeon, and therefore imperiously impervious to the advice of pretty much everybody) drugged his 2yo twins on a LHR-SIN sector, and the result was a very unhappy pair of little boys who made the last 2 hours of the flight, the transit in SIN, and much of the connecting flight to SYD, an infernal nightmare for all concerned :evil:.

Their parents having learned from the experience, the boys now fly drug-free, and are kept busy with activities, snacks, and walks around the cabin. IFE is also wonderful for entertaining little ones - TV is a great babysitter. The result is a happy kids, happy parents, and a very happy cabin full of strangers.

 

[Timba-Jet]

While I can sympathise with the OP to some extent, I don't think this warrants a 'never again' - but then again thats an individual decision.

The 2 hour wait before check-in opens is frustrating, but that is consequence of point to point basic service of LCCs. For me i weigh up the saving i get with a LCC against a more expensive airline offering enhanced services. I would not hesitate to snap up a super cheap JQi flight, but i'm aware i will be offered limited services and if something goes wrong then its likely i will get less help/encounter more hassles than say flying with QF.

The OP's decision not to fly again is an indivdual choice, which i can understand but not a choice i would make myself.

 

[nlagalle]

JQ26 NRT 20:10 CNS 04:50
JQ931 CNS 09:35 BNE 11:45
This, I thought, was stretching the limits for a reasonable connection time.

But surely you knew the "connection time" beforehand? I had a 7 hour "connection time" in Hong Kong flying CX.

Also there can be varying factors with weather. where the aircraft departed from etc. just because flights landed, doesn't mean it's all ok. try living in Melbourne where it can be pouring at MEL and sunny at AV. which isn't even 40km distance.

 

[nlagalle]

I'm not a parent (yet), but if your baby cries they are saying one of:

• "Change me"
• "Feed me", or
• "Cuddle me" / "Comfort me"

Correct or incorrect?

I'd day 1 of 4 when flying. add blocked ears to that list...

 

[jaffa]

JETSTAR passengers booked on a Thailand-to-Sydney flight have been stuck on the resort island of coughet since Monday because of maintenance problems.
Thats 3 days folks!


http://www.frequentflyer.com.au/com...ar-passengers-stranded-in-thailand-21368.html

I have a feeling it would be "never again" for these passengers as well

 

[medhead]

I'd day 1 of 4 when flying. add blocked ears to that list...

Yes, but blocked ears can be dealt with by "feed me" for infants. Shove a bottle in their mouth and they will suckle and that fixes the ears.

Now my kids are older the ears are a real difficulty because they can't just be feed with a bottle and they don't yet understand about popping their ears. So they sit there in pain looking for an answer from the parents, but luckily they are old enough to not cry.

A good thread here for suggestions on entertaining toddlers.

Of course, I like to think my kids are good because I beat them and SWMBO thinks it is because she raised them proper.

 

[hearliam]

I'm trying to find the Post about the "near miss in Cairns by the Jetstar plane. So forgive me if I am in the wrong post. Now Iv'e done some calculations and by what Webtrak says there is no way in hell that plane was at 312 m at the time of aborting that landing. Now Apartment Cairns which is opposite Cairns Central, which is in the flight path, give or take a few metres, is roughly 45 m high, now you are telling me that plane was 7 times the height of that building, why would it pull out so violently at such a sharp accent, which was witnessed by my wife. I guess we will never know.

 

[samh004]

I'm trying to find the Post about the "near miss in Cairns by the Jetstar plane. So forgive me if I am in the wrong post. Now Iv'e done some calculations and by what Webtrak says there is no way in hell that plane was at 312 m at the time of aborting that landing. Now Apartment Cairns which is opposite Cairns Central, which is in the flight path, give or take a few metres, is roughly 45 m high, now you are telling me that plane was 7 times the height of that building, why would it pull out so violently at such a sharp accent, which was witnessed by my wife. I guess we will never know.

The search in the top right works best with keywords. Searching for "near miss” I was easily able to find the thread you were looking for.

Also, welcome!

 

[hearliam]

Thanks Sam

 

[ozimax]

To be fair, if you’re going to take a baby on a plane, it should be economy, and you should always pack a bottle of cough syrup

Anaesthetic works much better.

To lighten things up, I once (when in the employ of Try Another Airline)flew first class in a 727 from Sydney - Alice Springs. My 2 yr old son was accompanying me and he received the royal treatment but wanted none of the fare on offer. Instead he wanted the vegemite sanga his mother had packed for him.

Getting back on topic, we flew Jetstar WEL-CHC a few weeks ago. The service was OK but at $39 a ticket, I would have stood up the whole way! For that price, it was a pleasant experience. You certainly get what you pay for,

I can't say the same for QF SYD-AKL return. The service was shoddy, the meals (both ways) almost inedible, the entertainment system didn't work for me, and I was crashed into by a rather rotund female FA about 8 times during the flight. Thankfully I am a retired footy player so I was able to take the punishment.

The QF club in AKL was OK except there was virtually no food, and the coffee machine didn't work. However, the staff were pleasant. The counter staff at Sydney international QF club were 100% disinterested. Why they keep working there is beyond me.

I'm looking forward to flying SYD-MAN-HKK-AFRICA return next month and trying some different airlines for a change.

 

[notthedash]

If you want convenient connection and flight times, decent service, and all that jazz - pay the extra and stick with a mainline carrier you have status with.

Excellent idea, until you need to travel somewhere that the 'mainline' carriers have abandoned. Newcastle springs to mind. Can't remeber the last time I had an on time departure out of that place.