Was Jetstar plane full - and why did it take 30 minutes to fill?

I've been corresponding with Sonny Shaw, an an All Black fan who travels regularly and got on the Jetstar plane that Mike Earley missed on last Saturday. Shaw's details were given to me. He was in seat 12F and noticed no empty seats on the plane. Perhaps the plane was full. If so, who took Mike Earley's seat - and the other seven who missed out?

Shaw said that the passengers started boarding 10 minutes before the time on the boarding pass and the plane left 20 minutes late - after 4pm. He says

I could not understand how we started to board 10 minutes before the time printed on boarding pass and still left 20 minutes late. Five minutes before takeoff the purser made an announcement "this plane is VERY full can you put any small personal items under the front seat so there would be room in the overhead lockers". The hostesses where up and down the aisle I got the impression they were checking how many empty seats were left then they would go to the front and more passengers would arrive.

The purser's announcement was made 15 minutes after scheduled departure time. I asked Shaw why he thought the plane left 20 minutes late. He said that Jetstar kept allowing passengers to board "My feeling was just to make sure the plane was full."

If so, that's concerning, given that some missed out on checking in. Jestar's rules that there is no check ins 30 minutes prior to the scheduled flight time. Furthermore everyone must be ready to board 25 minutes before the scheduled flight time. Is that so they can board early - which is apparently what happened. Assuming those checked in were ready to board, they would have to be in the departure lounge. So why were more passengers getting on the plane 20 minutes after scheduled departure time when they were in the departure lounge for up to 45 minutes?

Meanwhile Jetstar spokeswoman Simone Pregellio acknowledged having issued incorrect information initially about how late some passengers arrived, but insisted they were all too late.

She said they arrived 22 minutes late, and eight minutes before departure time. Now she is saying that they arrived eight minutes late, and 22 minutes before departure. Tomorrow she may say that 22 people arrived eight minutes before the check in deadline.

But if the plane departed 20 minutes late, she is still wrong. Maybe she meant eight people missed out and it left 22 minutes late.

It doesn't take 30 minutes to fill a plane - unless you are Jetstar.

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Jetstar rules

This post has been updated
No, Jetstar does not rule. But it does have rules.

Many people have been complaining that they have booked flights with Jetstar and the airline is not letting anyone check in 30 minutes before boarding time. But these are the rules, and the rules are on every ticket,including mine.

The problem is that the ticket discusses arrival time.

If you are not checked in at least 30 minutes before the scheduled departure, you will not be able to check in for your flight. Arrival after this time may result in you forfeiting the entire fare paid.

Arrival where? To the airport, check in, queue to the check in? What if you "arrive" at the queue 35 minutes before the scheduled departure time and there is a six minute queue at the checkin?

You don't fly. Nor do you get a refund.Legally, I believe you should get a refund, if you have "arrived" after "this time." i.e. stood in a queue 30 minutes before scheduled departure. I also happen to believe that if you arrive before that time you should also be checked in.

Jetstar needs to get its administration into gear to effectively administer these rules in such a way that everyone gets on the plane. Given their recommendations that everyone aims to check in 1 hour prior to scheduled departure, this means checking everyone in during a 30 minute period.

If they can't do that, the rules are worthless, and their recommendations meaningless. I suspect that people are turning up 10 minutes before the check in deadline - which they can do. Jetstar should up its administration and/or staff levels quick smart so it can meet its own rules and check everyone in 30 minutes before departure if that's what it wants to do.Or else not be so stringent and maintain that everybody must be at the boarding gate 25 minutes prior to departure merely to sit around and wait. This means that if you are last at the checkin you must be able to get to the boarding gate within five minutes. Hope you don't want to go to the toilet. But Jetstar has had problems in Aussie, too as A QC writes in Crikey: "Jetstar: They lied and stole my money".

Anyway, was in contact with Mike Earley, the subject of the highest rating story in today's Herald. He was the one who kicked up a fuss and got on Twitter. He has told me that a middle aged man who was behind his group in the queue was served - perhaps it was deadline time and it was easier to get an older man on before the deadline than checking in a group of young people - or else the airline had overbooked people. Earley has already complained to the Commerce Commission.

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Jetstar: All day, every day, waiting in transit - after changing your flight times before you get to the airport

I'm supposed to be flying to Auckland with Jetstar in the not too distant future after it offered really cheap flights - perfect for students. I've already had two e-mails instructing that my flight times have been changed.

Of course, the idea of cheaper flights is that you get to your destination as well. I am wondering if I`ll be able to check in let alone board on time after reading this.

I decided against Flying Pacific Blue after I got to my destination at 2:30am because the flight was delayed by several hours, but Jetstar passengers have been turned away from their flights. Mike Earley was one. He threatened to go to the media, so Jetstar dared him to, so he did and you can read the report here. But Earley was also twittering about it . When Jetstar realised he was taking pics they called the cops and wanted to ban this one from becoming public.

But I find that more than half of Jetstar - should be Jesters - flights have departed late. But although my flight is a couple of months away, Jetstar sent me an email changing my flight time and asking me to confirm that time on their website and then instructing me not to contact them. Then the same thing happened again. Another email advising the flight time was changed. I checked and it was changed to the same time it was initially changed to. But I had to confirm it again on Jetstars website and not ring them. I might just have to. I might also have to join this Facebook page after being invited last week.

I guess the publicity means that fewer people will be flying Jetstar. Must check to see if my flight is full- and whether it will actually leave. Or change airlines.

Update They did this last weekend too. They cut off boarding half an hour before the flight, including stopping serving people who had been in the queue. The plane just flies off half-full but with everyone's money.

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