'Can't get through to anyone': Jetstar Asia passengers facing issues with refund applications, Singapore News
Unable to reschedule flights and receive refunds, many Jetstar Asia passengers are voicing their frustrations as they try to adjust their travel plans.
Jetstar Asia announced on Wednesday (June 11) morning that it will be ceasing operations effective July 31 after years of financial losses, and will be operating on a "progressively reduced schedule" for the next few weeks.
In a statement on Wednesday, it said that customers with bookings after July 31 would be offered full refunds for their flights, but many are facing difficulties in claiming refunds. 'Can't get through to anyone'
Speaking to AsiaOne, an affected passenger, who wanted to be known as Megan, said that she has been unable to get help from customer service.
The 27-year-old had booked a flight to Bangkok in August and received an email on Wednesday afternoon that provided a form to apply for a refund.
She received what seemed like "an automated response" later that night, informing her that Jetstar Asia was looking into the matter.
"I tried to message them on Instagram and also tried to use the live chat function but I can't get through to anyone," she lamented, adding that she had no time to purchase travel insurance prior to the sudden announcement.
The next day, she received a follow-up email saying that she was "not eligible for a monetary refund" and that they were unable to process her request.
Instead, Jetstar Asia offered her a credit voucher and provided a link to contact customer service, though she was unable to connect with a live agent due to high volumes of traffic on the website.
Megan has since rebooked her flights with a different airline and is still unsure of how to proceed with the refund.
Other affected passengers have also shared their experiences in the comments of Jetstar Asia's Facebook and Instagram pages, detailing similar experiences. Pending refunds
But some Jetstar passengers have had more success, including 23-year-old Tan who booked her flights through trip.com.
Her flight to Bali is scheduled for July 31, Jetstar Asia's last day of operations, and her flight back to Singapore was booked for Aug 3, she told AsiaOne.
Her departing flight will proceed as scheduled, and trip.com alerted her that she would need to change her return flight, upon which she will receive a refund. Rescheduled flight
Another affected passenger AsiaOne spoke to, Phillina Teo, had her flight to Bali rescheduled instead.
Upon hearing the news on Wednesday morning, she immediately called customer service to check if her upcoming flight was affected, but was reassured that it would carry on as planned.
It was only later that night that she received an email informing her that the flight was being cancelled.
"At this point I was so frustrated as I was given wrong information," the 29-year-old said, adding that she called customer service again on Thursday and requested a change of flight instead.
Explaining her rationale for not wanting a refund, she said: "Rebooking a flight now will be so much more expensive than when I first booked it." Updating passengers
A spokesperson for the airline told AsiaOne on June 13 that there was a "systems issue" with the refund form.
"This error has now been fixed and we are reaching out to impacted customers to let them know their refund is being processed and that we sincerely apologise for any confusion and inconvenience," the spokesperson said, adding that all impacted customers have been contacted.
It also said that customers may experience "longer than normal wait times" on their calls and Live Chat due to increased traffic volumes. Case working closely with Jetstar Asia
In a statement on Thursday (June 12), Melvin Yong, MP for Radin Mas SMC and president of the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case), said that the association is working with Jetstar Asia to clarify how it intends to handle and process these refunds and rescheduled flights.
Case has received three complaints regarding passengers facing difficulties with their refunds as of Thursday, reported The Straits Times. Income Insurance covering affected customers
Income Insurance will be covering eligible customers affected by Jetstar Asia's closure as a gesture of goodwill, it said in a statement on Thursday.
Affected customers who have purchased Income Travel Insurance with pre-trip cancellation cover prior to June 11 will be able to claim for "unused and prepaid expenses such as accommodation, travel packages, local tours, amusement park tickets and transport expenses".
The cessation of Jetstar Asia's operations would not normally fall within Income Travel Insurance's insured events for trip cancellations, which only account for events such as natural disasters, riots and family bereavement.
"We recognise the stress and anxiety that our customers are experiencing due to the impact of this sudden news," said Dhiren Amin, Chief Customer Officer of Income Insurance.
AsiaOne has also reached out to Jetstar Asia for comment.
[[nid:719004]]
dana.leong@asiaone.com
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
5 hours ago
- CNA
Analysis:Meta's $14.8 billion Scale AI deal latest test of AI partnerships
Facebook owner Meta's $14.8 billion investment in Scale AI and hiring of the data-labeling startup's CEO will test how the Trump administration views so-called acquihire deals, which some have criticized as an attempt to evade regulatory scrutiny. The deal, announced on Thursday, was Meta's second-largest investment to date. It gives the owner of Facebook a 49 per cent nonvoting stake in Scale AI, which uses gig workers to manually label data and includes among its customers Meta competitors Microsoft and ChatGPT creator OpenAI. Unlike an acquisition or a transaction that would give Meta a controlling stake, the deal does not require a review by U.S. antitrust regulators. However, they could probe the deal if they believe it was structured to avoid those requirements or harm competition. The deal appeared to be structured to avoid potential pitfalls, such as cutting off competitors' access to Scale's services or giving Meta an inside view into rivals' operations - though Reuters exclusively reported on Friday that Alphabet's Google has decided to sever ties with Scale in light of Meta's stake, and other customers are looking at taking a step back. In a statement, a Scale AI spokesperson said its business, which spans work with major companies and governments, remains strong, as it is committed to protecting customer data. The company declined to comment on specifics with Google. Alexandr Wang, Scale's 28-year-old CEO who is coming to Meta as part of the deal, will remain on Scale's board but will have appropriate restrictions placed around his access to information, two sources familiar with the move confirmed. Large tech companies likely perceive the regulatory environment for AI partnerships as easier to navigate under President Donald Trump than under former President Joe Biden, said William Kovacic, director of the competition law center at George Washington University. Trump's antitrust enforcers have said they do not want to regulate how AI develops, but have also displayed a suspicion of large tech platforms, he added. "That would lead me to think they will keep looking carefully at what the firms do. It does not necessarily dictate that they will intervene in a way that would discourage the relationships," Kovacic said. Federal Trade Commission probes into past "aquihire" deals appear to be at a standstill. Under the Biden administration, the FTC opened inquiries into Amazon's deal to hire top executives and researchers from AI startup Adept, and Microsoft's $650 million deal with Inflection AI. The latter allowed Microsoft to use Inflection's models and hire most of the startup's staff, including its co-founders. Amazon's deal closed without further action from the regulator, a source familiar with the matter confirmed. And, more than a year after its initial inquiry, the FTC has so far taken no enforcement action against Microsoft over Inflection, though a larger probe over practices at the software giant is ongoing. A spokesperson for the FTC declined to comment on Friday. David Olson, a professor who teaches antitrust law at Boston College Law School, said it was smart of Meta to take a minority nonvoting stake. "I think that does give them a lot of protection if someone comes after them," he said, adding that it was still possible that the FTC would want to review the agreement. The Meta deal has its skeptics. U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts who is probing AI partnerships involving Microsoft and Google, said Meta's investment should be scrutinized. 'Meta can call this deal whatever it wants - but if it violates federal law because it unlawfully squashes competition or makes it easier for Meta to illegally dominate, antitrust enforcers should investigate and block it," she said in a statement on Friday. While Meta faces its own monopoly lawsuit by the FTC, it remains to be seen whether the agency will have any questions about its Scale investment. The U.S. Department of Justice's antitrust division, led by former JD Vance adviser Gail Slater, recently started looking into whether Google's partnership with chatbot creator was designed to evade antitrust review, Bloomberg News reported. The DOJ is separately seeking to make Google give it advance notice of new AI investments as part of a proposal to curb the company's dominance in online search.
Independent Singapore
12 hours ago
- Independent Singapore
Jetstar Asia staff offered ‘attractive' severance package and job support after 'quite sudden' closure
SINGAPORE: More than 500 Jetstar Asia staff based in Singapore will be laid off when the Qantas low-cost subsidiary ceases operations on Jul 31. The closure was announced to employees through a company-wide email at about 7 a.m. on Thursday (Jun 12), just before the public announcement. While some found the move 'extreme,' others appreciated what they described as an 'attractive' severance package, Channel News Asia (CNA) reported. Shortly after the official announcement, a company town hall was held at Changi Airport Terminal 1, with an option to attend virtually, a flight attendant said. During the meeting, management discussed the company's challenges, including operating expenses and fuel prices, as reasons for Jetstar Asia's closure. A cabin crew member who had worked for Jetstar Asia for three years said the news was 'sad and disappointing.' 'The management did call us up individually and asked us how we are coping and are we okay, because we still have to work,' he said. Meanwhile, a pilot who joined the company less than a year ago told CNA that they had 'no real clue' that such a 'quite sudden' move was coming. However, he noted that the severance package was 'attractive' and 'quite good,' especially for those who have been with the airline for longer. The severance package includes four weeks' salary for each year of service with the airline, a bonus for the current financial year, a special thank-you payment, and continued access to staff travel perks for a period equal to their tenure. Jetstar is also supporting employees in securing new roles across the aviation sector. Staff said they were given channels to other airlines, including Singapore Airlines (SIA), Emirates, and Qatar Airways, in addition to Jetstar Airways and Jetstar Japan. 'They handled it quite well, they tried to give us other opportunities,' the pilot said. Unions have also stepped in for support. Labour chief Ng Chee Meng said the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), the Singapore Manual and Mercantile Workers' Union (SMMWU), and NTUC's Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) would be providing on-site support from next week at Changi's Terminal 1. Mr Ng said this includes career coaching, employability support, and training. Mr Ng added that they are exploring opportunities for SIA Group to match affected Jetstar Asia employees, including crew and corporate staff, to suitable roles where possible. Jetstar Asia 'wants to keep the flights going,' said the pilot, adding that cancelling flights now would affect many people, given it's the holiday period. /TISG Read also: Scoot to take over Jetstar Asia's Okinawa and Labuan Bajo routes
Straits Times
13 hours ago
- Straits Times
Leaders of Singapore, Poland call for strengthened partnership
PM Lawrence Wong with Polish President Andrzej Duda, who was on a three-day state visit to Singapore from June 11 to 13. PHOTO: MDDI SINGAPORE - Amidst a more challenging trade and geopolitical environment, Singapore looks forward to strengthening its partnership with Poland and for the two countries to work more closely together, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on June 13. In a Facebook post following his meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda, PM Wong said Poland is an important partner for the Republic in Central and Eastern Europe, and that the two countries have growing trade, investment and people-to-people ties. 'But there's still tremendous potential for us to do more together,' PM Wong said, adding that he and Mr Duda had discussed strengthening cooperation in areas such as port development, food security and logistics. Mr Duda was on a three-day state visit to Singapore from June 11 to 13 - the first visit by a Polish head of state to the Republic in more than 20 years. At a business forum earlier on June 13, Mr Duda said his visit to the Republic reflects Poland's political will to bring the two countries closer. 'The world has entered a new phase of global economic relations, a time where diversification, resilience and trusted partnerships will define success,' he said to business leaders gathered at the Shangri-La Hotel. 'The Poland-Singapore partnership can be part of that new global architecture.' Potential areas for collaboration include advanced manufacturing, food products, logistics and trade facilitation, said Mr Duda. He also called for 'digital bridges' to be built between both sides in areas such as cyber security, artificial intelligence, e-commerce and blockchain, and for closer cooperation in defence and dual-use technologies. This sentiment was mirrored by Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations Grace Fu, who also spoke at the forum, which was jointly organised by Poland's embassy in Singapore, the Polish Investment and Trade Agency, and the Singapore Business Federation. 'As we face a volatile trade and geopolitical environment, it is especially important for like-minded partners such as Singapore and Poland to exchange perspectives and create opportunities for mutual growth,' said Ms Fu. She suggested two ways in which countries can achieve economic success despite these turbulent times. The first was to build a robust architecture of economic agreements, which would further strengthen the global rules-based trading system, and give businesses greater clarity and certainty. She cited the signing of the European Union-Singapore Digital Trade Agreement in May, which will allow businesses on both sides to transact online more seamlessly and give them greater confidence to build partnerships across borders. She also welcomed the Polish government's ongoing efforts to ratify the EU-Singapore Investment Protection Agreement, which will provide companies greater certainty on the treatment of their investments and offer them more robust investment protections when it comes into force. Secondly, countries should leverage on complementary strengths and needs to build new partnerships. For instance, Poland is known for its strong agriculture and food processing sector, and the Singapore Food Agency's approval for the country to be a source of frozen poultry earlier in 2025 presents new opportunities for Polish exporters and Singaporean importers, noted Ms Fu. On the digital front, Poland has a large fintech and e-commerce sector looking to incorporate technology such as AI, analytics, and integrated payments, and Singapore's robust digital infrastructure and innovativeness means its companies are well-placed to provide such solutions, she added. Poland is Singapore's 13th largest trading partner in the European Union (EU). Since the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (EUSFTA) came into force in 2019, trade in goods between the two countries has grown by 50 per cent, reaching a high of nearly $1.7 billion in 2024. Trade in services has likewise increased by 50 per cent, reaching nearly $700 million in 2023. Ms Fu noted that there are currently 170 Polish companies operating in Singapore, including technology firms such as Lingaro, CShark, and RTB House who have their regional offices here. 'I look forward to welcoming more Polish businesses to tap on our networks and capabilities to seize opportunities in Singapore and the region,' she said. 'Amidst a more turbulent global environment, Singapore remains a reliable partner for companies looking to diversify and strengthen their resilience.' Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
