Jetstar treating Japan's earthquake and tsunami as a minor inconvenience

Jetstar doesnt consider yesterdays earthquake and tsunami in Japan to be serious. Customers flying to Tokyo only have the option to reschedule their flight within the next two week period. It will take Japan more than two weeks to recover and it is very likely there will be many after shocks during the next month. Jetstar does not value the lives of its customers. There should be a more flexible options for customers flying to Japn, as was offered for flights to Brisbane during the floods and Christchurch during their earthquake. The Australian Government and ACCC should force all airlines including Jetstar to have fair policies for cancellations. Non refundable airtickets are not fair. There is an unfair gain to the airlines for every cancellation. Its theft.
Also, Australians should be discouraged from flying to Japan for leisure during such a potentially dangerous time. There is a big chance of a leak or explosion at the nuclear power plants.

Jetstar - you really are unAustralia !!!

International
Australia-Sydney
Japan-Tokyo (Narita International)

Comments

Pete, if you don't want

Pete, if you don't want non-refundable fares, pay extra for refundable ones. If the ACCC had the Australian government make all fares refundable prepare for the cost of air tickets to increase by a massive amount, putting them out of reach to the very people the laws are protecting. Simple economics.

As far as arrangements for Japan I suggest you keep an eye on their website as these kinds of policies are often revised on a daily basis.

Kaz, we are not after

Kaz, we are not after refundable fares, and understand the limitation of the tickets we purchase. But surely a natural disastor of the magnitude in Japan, is out of the ordinary. No one with common sense is going to travel to Narita and Tokyo during the next four to six weeks, so basically Jetstar just wants to make money off this disastor?

I think Jackie meant

I think Jackie meant disaster...
Jackie you might note on the website they are now offering refunds for flights to Tokyo up until the 18th March. Like Kaz said, these policies are often reviewed daily and could be extended so continue to monitor for updates.

I agree with you Peter &

I agree with you Peter & Jackie,
Why in the world would Japan want tourists arriving on their doorstep during this tragedy. Surely JetStar could suck it up and offer credit so that those that were meant to travel in the coming weeks can rebook when Japan is back on its feet.
Not everyone is after a refund, just a little compassion during these disasters.
Kaz, you don't work for Jetstar by chance? Certainly sounds like it

We originally planned to go

We originally planned to go to Japan for 3 weeks in April. Now after all, we don't think that we would be able to have a good time there and want to spend our annual leave somewhere else. Just called Jetstar hotline to ask, if we could change our flights to Hawaii and pay the difference as the flights are almost double the price. But the Jetstar rules are fixed and there is no room for negotiation and customer care in Jetstar's business model. So the money for Japan is lost, but for sure I won't spend a single dollar with Jetstar again and use all channels in the internet to spread the word about my experience with Jetstar.

Smart Traveller is advising

Smart Traveller is advising against Non essential travel to Japan, even to unaffected areas as rolling electrical stoppages are
expected to impede the whole country. I have booked to take my daughter and her family including 2 toddlers in May. I am seriously
concerned about the nuclear explosions at the Fukushima Power Plant and do not want to go to Japan until this very serious
disaster is resolved. The response from Jetstar call centre was very polite but it seems at this stage I am still expected to take my
loved ones into this. Time off work has been organised and if I am to make other arrangements I need to do it now. It would be helpful if the CEO of Jetstar would show some compassion and know that this will go a long way in future public relations with
those who find themselves in this dilemma.

I haven't tried to contact

I haven't tried to contact Jetstar yet - but I was due to do the first part of the walking tour of Shikoku begining in Apri. I am not sure what my insurance status is - I will need to do all that soon!

I haven't tried to contact

I haven't tried to contact Jetstar yet - but I was due to do the first part of the walking tour of Shikoku begining in Apri. I am not sure what my insurance status is - I will need to do all that soon!

I haven't tried to contact

I haven't tried to contact Jetstar yet - but I was due to do the first part of the walking tour of Shikoku begining in Apri. I am not sure what my insurance status is - I will need to do all that soon!

they are only allowing people

they are only allowing people to change for free if they are flying from narita and the flight was before march 18th. After that even if you have a refundable fare you must pay the difference. I asked which seismologist and nuclear physicist had helped to devise their policies (they obviously dont think whats going on is a big deal) - the guy at the call centre just answered with silence

Hi Kaz, Would you please post

Hi Kaz,
Would you please post the link to the Jetstar website where 'they often post changes on a daily basis'?
I have found the website where all the other airlines have posted their positions.
The earthquakes are still happening, the Fukushima power plant is on fire and people have been told
that further Tsunamis are not out of the question. Watch the news each night and see the people who
have returned home, completely traumatised! We were wanting Disney Sea, Disneyland, Temples, Tokyo Tech
and Toy shops. Not sushi fished from an ocean which is being rained upon by Nuclear fallout.
Yes we love Japan! It is completely unique. We have been before, my daughter lived there and it is
deeply embedded in our hearts. Give them time to fix things and we will be back! Until then Jetstar,
please don't make this harder than it already is!

I am concerned with this

I am concerned with this aswell - a friend and I have flights booked to Narita departing 30th May. One can only hope that with the unfolding Nuclear situation becoming worse by the minute that Jetstar would offer full refunds to passengers. As Suzie said, how can we be expected to travel into these areas??

I booked the flight

I booked the flight travelling on 23rd May. Might ask Jetstar for cancellation.

Good luck with that Yilma!

Good luck with that Yilma!

Jetstar now refunding up to

Jetstar now refunding up to 10 April. My flight to Japan is booked for 9 April so I am on phone to Jetstar nopw (in queue of course) trying to arrange a refund. Given whats happening in Japan I would guess that Jetstar will end up refunding all tickets - good luck to those booked after 10 April.

That is indeed good news

That is indeed good news Scott. Good for you! Good on Jet Star!
Smart Traveller today says:

ravel to parts of Japan unaffected by the tsunami and earthquake: Australians considering non-essential travel in parts of Japan unaffected by the earthquake and tsunami should carefully consider their need to undertake such travel at this time due to the disruption to transport hubs in and around Tokyo. You should also consider the disruption from rolling power cuts on your travel plans in Japan.

Suzie says:
There is a danger of food contamination from radiation. There are 13 million people in Tokyo, and many, especially those with
children are evacuating the city. There are on going earthquakes exceeding 6 on the richter scale.
There is a shortage of food and fuel. To think that this is going to be cleaned up in the next 3 months is unreasonable!
Come on Jet Star, do the right thing and give your customers a refund now so that they can make alternate arrangements
and not totally stuff up their hard earned and looked forward to, annual holidays. Please!!!!!

http://www.jetstar.com/au/en/

http://www.jetstar.com/au/en/custinformation.html
This would be an official source of information - I can't find anything regarding the change regarding refund to 10 April!
It still says "Update on Jetstar Japan services – 16 March 2011 (1200 AEST / 1000 JST) " Soneone has just told me the reference to the 10 April date is in The Sun newspaper. What is the point of having a website if it is not updated - it would even same time in answering all the phone calls?

I rang jetstar yesterday and

I rang jetstar yesterday and they told me they were accepting cancellations up to 10 April, I'm flying 15 th April and don't want to go anymore. I just hope they revise this date ridiculous to think that a disaster of this magnitude will be sorted in snagged 3 weeks

Jetstar's offerings are in

Jetstar's offerings are in line with other carrier such as Qantas and Japan Airlines, both of which are also offering refunds up until April 10. I don't see why this is brought onto a dont fly jetstar forum when its the same with all carriers.
All airlines would be monitoring the situation very closely and if there is no improvement it would be likely they will extend these dates further again.

That's all very well

That's all very well Anonymous but the US Government is advising evacuation of all US citizens and telling them
to stay away from Japan at this time. The reasons being pretty obvious to any reasonable minded person with a
shred of commonsense!
Who cares what other airlines are offering! We expect more from our carriers!
We need refunds now so that we can make alternate arrangements. Regardless of whether they extend the time
out for refunds or not, we will be booking for an alternate holiday destination on Monday.
Whether we book with Jet Star or not will depend upon their actions in the next few days. I travel lots and
have flown with Jet Star many times very satisfactorily but I find this policy difficult to understand
Fix it please Jet Star or lose my custom..

http://www.jetstar.com/au/en/

http://www.jetstar.com/au/en/custinformation.html
Am I looking in the wrong place? I still can't find anything regarding the change regarding refund to 10 April!

It was in the Herald Sun

It was in the Herald Sun Thursday March 17. Page 7 an article headed 'Airlines allow for changes'.
The journalist is Angela Saurine. It advises you go to www.jnto.org.au
I have been to this site and have not found any information regarding this.
The Herald Sun quotes that Jet Star had brought its policy in to line with its parent company Qantas.
'We're offering our customers fully flexible options should they wish to change their travel plans to or
from Osaka and Tokyo'. (including a refund)
That date is for travel booked up until April 10 pending further consideration.
My daughter has just called Jet Star as the Australian Government is now advising that Japan is now
on the list of 'No Goes"! At last! Jet Star have not changed from the April 10th date but they
have said to keep an eye on the website for possible changes. Hopefully that will be very soon and
this will be resolved, albeit a stressful time for all!

I got a refund. Just called

I got a refund. Just called the number and no hassle full refund. Travel was booked for Osaka from Gold Coast 24 March. Pretty happy with that. I will most likely be rebooking with Jetstar in 6 to 12 months time.

Cathay Pacific Australia is

Cathay Pacific Australia is offering refunds to customer who bought their ticket to travel from Australia to Japan before the earthquake, travel period from now up to 30 June.

We expect all other airlines including Jetstar will follow Cathay's lead. It's just common sense. Seriously, they can't expect everything to be back to normal in 3 weeks.

Jetstar are a joke. Will not

Jetstar are a joke. Will not fly them again even if i get my money back. There is no information on the site. Had to wait for an hour on the phone to have some dope tell me i can have a credit to use within the next 3 months. Travelling on the 15th, surely they are liable for any harm that comes my way if i go because i cannot get a refund.

We got a refund even we

We got a refund even we booked for Tokyo from Sydney 12 April.

Just rang 131538, no refund

Just rang 131538, no refund for May yet...

Just got a refund for my "non

Just got a refund for my "non refundable" fares (leaving Sydney 12/6, returning 19/6). Their website still says only for flights up to 10 April, but they have now extended to bookings up to 30 June (still must have been made before 11 March).

Hi Robert. Were your flights

Hi Robert. Were your flights fully flexible? I'm on Jetsaver. Don't want a refund, just postpone a couple months as due to fly out 10th May. Immediate danger might have lessened but concerned about residual radiation. I just don't think worth risk health wise. I booked in January for mid May.
Thanks.

Thanks for the info, Rob.

Thanks for the info, Rob. Just rang jetstar to get my flight cancelled. Refund would be given in 15 days.
Regarding to Ms M's question. You do have other options.ie, change date, reroute your flight, get a voucher.

Thanks Yiima. I will give

Thanks Yiima. I will give them a call now. Just wanted to confirm the date extension before being told no yet again. :)

Hi everyone - just stumbled

Hi everyone - just stumbled across these posts re Jetstar refunds. I was booked to travel on 21 April with my husband via Jetstar. Our main purpose was to attend the MotoGP which has now been moved to October. On Sunday I rang Jetstar and because our dates were outside the 10 April deadline they had on their travel advice he suggested I write citing the reason for wanting to cancellation due to postponment of the race with evidence attached (which is only fair) and it would be evaluated.

I called last night the Jetstar number just to follow up on it and was advised that Jetstar has extended its flexible fare options to all travellers upto 30 June 2011. I even offered to take a voucher but the Customer Service representative said it was easier to refund in full. I will receive this refund within 15 days to my credit card.

I believe Jetstar have done a very good job under the uncertainty of the circumstances. I also believe people need to be patient, have good manners when dealing with the representatives via the phone. They are doing all they can for those affected. I can attest to that. So for all those who are affected up to 30 June flight departure dates - give Jetstar a call and be patient with the wait time on the phone - stick it on handsfree while you do something else - the time will go quickly.

Hi Yiima, did you call

Hi Yiima, did you call 131538 for refund? Do you know the phone operation hours?
my flight is on the 12th April, hopefully i can get the refund successfully. Fingers crossed!
Thanks all for the informations above.

I haven't called yet as I'm

I haven't called yet as I'm not sure what option to take, but does anyone know how long they are offering this flexibility? Website still does not have updated info.
Thanks.

The current options for those

The current options for those with bookings til end June are options 2 to 5 of the options for people travelling til 10th April. Website still has old update from 21st March.

Took the refund option as it will cost an extra $800+ to change the flights. I'm going to remain optimistic the refund arrives within the time they advise.

No matter what fare you on,

No matter what fare you on, you should be offered a refund and they should include the dates past Easter because they care about customers and most people will cancel, want to organise something else. I am taking my flight, i am going to trash the plane, seats, toilets, windows, whatever. Stuff these guys trying to make profit from disaster.

I took a refund but I wish

I took a refund but I wish they could have offered a "flight for flight" instead of me having to pay nearly $1000 in fare difference. I still want to go, Japan is a wonderful place, but can't afford that much extra considering I could get a full service flight for not much more. Wishing Japan a speedy recovery.

Thx for Gaye to inform us!

Thx for Gaye to inform us! Phoned to Jetstar and requested refund without any hassle to my booking in end of June. So it is definitely extended to 30 June. Thx Jetstar and hope my money will be transferred back to my credit card within the promised 15 bd. Good luck to others!

Simon, as all of the things

Simon, as all of the things you mentioned are federal offenses, hopefully you are met by the federal police upon your arrival.

Hi, I just tried to cancel

Hi, I just tried to cancel our flights to Japan on 11/4 and they would not do it. Still being told to check website daily for updates!!

I read in another post that

I read in another post that the "15 business days" is for Jetstar to approve the refund and the actual refund is not due within 15 business days. What do you think?

@ Anonymous - I rang on

@ Anonymous - I rang on Thursday and was told 15 business days was the waiting period to receive the refund. My flight was supposed to be on 22 April. But when my friend (who's travelling on the same date/flight) rang on Friday, she was told that they cannot offer refunds for travel after 10 April. After she insisted that she knows a few people who were offered refunds, the CS told her that she will submit a request for a refund (subject to approval from Jetstar). No consistency here....so I guess all we can do now is wait and see if they in fact was telling us the truth.

@qldtraveller I called on Fri

@qldtraveller I called on Fri re my 22 Apr flight. so I wonder if I am getting a refund or a request for refund. I can't see my booking on the jetstar site though

They are offering refunds on

They are offering refunds on full tickets, not the jet saver ones. What that means is, they recognise that their is a danger and are willing to send cheaper ticket types into it. Dumbstar.

@Simon . If you are paying

@Simon . If you are paying for the full ticket, then you can get refund regardless whether they make announcement or not. When I was offered for 4 options such as change the flight date, change destination, offer voucher and refund; I asked the operator to what basis you are offering me since the website still holds old information. The lady said that it is on the basis of what she read from her screen that for tickets purchased before 11 March and travel date is between 11 April and 30 June 2011. So that is why a few people are being offered full flexibility for their Jetsaver/Jetplus tickets traveling after 10 April. My case for late June departure to Tokyo is also confirmed with the operator's supervisor that is eligible for full flexibility. I just do not know whether the inconsistency is because the destination is Osaka not being the current non travel city Tokyo. Can someone clarify this?

Just to clarify with the

Just to clarify with the options, I was being offered the same option 2-5 as per current announcement on the website. So I am sure that the options and conditions to those travelling before 10-4 and after 10-4 are different. Would the destination now limited to Tokyo only for full flexibility after 10/4?

The problem is that in every

The problem is that in every company's call call centre, you will always get some people who are not as competent or knowledgeable as others. The rep that SG spoke to was clearly wrong, as it is evident from every other poster in this thread and the Refunds for Japan thread that refunds are on offer for both Tokyo and Osaka passengers. Simon is wrong, it is not just on full priced tickets.

Hi Sarah et al I realise that

Hi Sarah et al
I realise that not all call centre people are equal - but clearly their official website should be updated. That is the point of having an official website.
Jo

After the earthquake this

After the earthquake this morning and after reading the latest posts on here we decided to cancel our trip to Japan.
Jet Star Rep was very obliging and told me the money will be in our account in 15 days. Thanks Jet Star!
We will definitely fly with you again soon. Just have to organise with the family where!

This forum has been really

This forum has been really helpful!
Our flights to Japan with Jetstar are on the 6th July, so 6 days after the 30th June that they're now giving refunds for. Does anyone know how to request a refund in writing to Jetstar (where to address it to etc?)?. Or do you think I should just try over the phone?

I was offered refund on my

I was offered refund on my Jetsaver ticket so don't worry about how much you paid. My trip was to Tokyo for 10-16th May. I wasn't told it was a request for refund, but a refund. Had a look at the Jetstar website and they have rolled back the notice to the 18th March notification. So much for saying to keep an eye on their website for announcements. If it wasn't for this forum I wouldn't have known to call them for a refund and would still be waiting!

@ Ms M, I think if you

@ Ms M, I think if you refresh the website annoucement page enough times, I will go back to the 21 March announcement.

@ Anonymous. Done that over

@ Anonymous. Done that over the course of the last hour with no change. Regardless, would like to see the latest info where they allow flexibility for flights to 30th June (post 21st March announcement). No announcement to be seen so many people still don't know. Guess they're trying to keep that one on the down low.

@tam, if your travelling date

@tam, if your travelling date is outside the 30-6 window, the flexibility option being offerring to you would be slim. Since the new arrangement to 30-6 is kind of internal and even not being publicised; I would suggest you to wait and continued to watch the Japan situation which is kind of getting worse and worse. This may allow Jetstar to offer more refund if Japan is not really a traveling place in the near future. If you ring them now and being refused, they may put down a note against your booking which may affect your chance in the future, even with different operator. I just hope everyone traveling to Japan would be able to refund as I do not think anyone would like to go, at least to Tokyo in the next 6 months or so.

@Gordon L, I don't think it

@Gordon L, I don't think it should affect Tam's chances as I rang a couple of times prior to my getting a refund and notes were made. It's all about the dates they are offering and since they aren't publicising things it's definitely worth calling to know the latest offerings.

Thanks for your advice Gordon

Thanks for your advice Gordon L and Ms M

You will receive more

You will receive more radiation flying over than you will in Tokyo. Osaka is far from the earthquake zone you don't need to cancel flights if you are heading there and travelling around there. My main issue with Jetstar is them charging exhorbitant prices to those travellers recommended to leave Japan by DFAT. The US and France who also recommended their citizens to leave had free or subsiddized flights for all those who wanted to leave Japan over that week period. Jetstar saw it as a massive opportunity. If you have issues with Jetstar contact ACCC and / or your local MPs. They are an absolute disgrace.

How did they see it as a

How did they see it as a massive opportunity? They were allowing people with existing flights to change them for free to leave Japan. Do you have an example of these 'exhorbitant' (actually spelled exorbitant) prices?
It was the US and French governments that offered/arranged this. Not the airlines. Blame Gillard.

Just got through to Jetstar -

Just got through to Jetstar - we were booked on JetSaver fares (ie the non refundable and non transferrable ones) to Tokyo in June. Just told the options were to re-route the booking, go to another destination (without change fees), fly to Osaka, obtain vouchers which must be used in 3 months on flights taken in the next 12 months or a refund - however they aren't doing anything for flights after 30 June at this stage. Hope this helps for people booked prior to then, and those afterwards good luck!

Thanks B. Just a note that

Thanks B. Just a note that while they won't charge the change fee, they will charge the fare difference to Osaka. I was quoted roughly $800 for this so took the refund.

A heads up all. Just had a

A heads up all. Just had a call from Customer Care regarding online feedback I sent through before I was offerred a refund last week. I had originally asked if JS would consider extending the dates for flexibility due to the continuing nuclear situation. Customer Care rep said that he couldn't offer a refund due to JS policy but could offer me a voucher. Well, my blood began to boil and I said that Jerry (apparently it was Jeffrey so who knows) had offered me a full refund last Thursday, not an offer of refund and that he should check his notes. I said that if I took a voucher I would still have to pay the fare difference which I didn't have cause I doubted they would have fares for the same price I paid. He then read through his notes and saw indeed that I was already offered the refund and in this instance he would honour this as good will. I said it had nothing to do with good will because JS customer service are telling us we can have a refund! Okay I'm (hopefully) getting a refund and I am eternally grateful, but for other people who are in limbo it is not good enough that there is no consistancy in what operators are telling people. This is an electronic world, there is no excuse for no-one to be up to date with current policy, especially in a situation like this. From what I've read on this website this seems to be a big failing with JS. Except for this issue I've been happy with JS having flown 3 out of the past 4 years with them. Good luck folks.

Looks like Jetstar has an

Looks like Jetstar has an update on 1 April:

Flexible fare arrangements

For customers with bookings made on or before 11 March 2011 for travel between 11 March and 30 June 2011 inclusive Jetstar will offer the following flexible fare options. All changes to bookings must be made prior to 11 April 2011.

Rebook an alternative Jetstar service or destination within Japan only (i.e. change your flight from Tokyo to Osaka or Osaka to Tokyo) up to four weeks from original departure. Jetstar will waive the change fee and fare difference.
Rebook an alternate destination anywhere in the Jetstar network in the next 12 months. Jetstar will waive the change fee and charge for any fare difference.
Rebook an alternative date up to 12 months. Jetstar will waive the change fee and charge any fare difference.
Arrange a refund or voucher for the value of the booking if your travel is prior to April 10, or a voucher if your travel is between April 11 and June 30. Vouchers will be valid for three months and may be booked on any available Jetstar flight, hotel or activity in the next 12 months.

Base on the above

Base on the above annoucement:

What happens for those who have been offered refund for flight between 11 Apr and 30 June, like me and many of the others? Would they still honour their promise?

@ Gordon L, Good question.

@ Gordon L, Good question. Only time will tell I guess. I have 10 more business days to wait for the promised refund, but then it would be after 11 April as per the 1 April announcement.

I think we should all check

I think we should all check with our Credit Card account and if it is not happened before the 11 April and we should ring them again to check their status of refund. Since we all arranged before the 11 April, then if they refuse to honour refund for some reasons, we should at least get a voucher and can redeem it within the 3 months of issuing for any travel besides Japan in the next 12 months. At least we do not have to go to Japan for the short coming. BTW I cannot check with my booking anymore.

Same. My booking is not

Same. My booking is not showing up anymore. A good sign perhaps?

If you've been told you'll

If you've been told you'll get a refund, you'll get a refund.

@ Danna. So they shut the

@ Danna. So they shut the door up, may be after a lot of people asking for refund after seeing this website. lol. Hopefully we may be the only lucky ones being offer the refund for booking after Apr 11!

BTW. Have anyone seen the refund back to the credit card yet ?

We rang jetstar today and

We rang jetstar today and told them that we are due to fly in June, they said they can only offer voucher. We told them that there are people who have been offered a refund even though they are due to fly in May and June and the operator makes it sound like we were lying! She even told us to provide the name and booking reference of people who actually been offer a refund to their bank account!!! She said that maybe those people who got a refund didn't book with jetsaver. I'm not sure what we suppose to do now because they even say that if we decided to take the voucher now and then the policy change later and offer a refund then we cannot do anything about it!!! Is this how jetstar treat their value customer? I feel like I'm being deceived here.

@P and P, their policies

@P and P, their policies could change at any time, just like the dumb operator said. What the operator offers at the time are what they will honor. For all peole before offered refund was done before their formal announcement at April 1. So you just have to take what they can offer now. A voucher is far more better than other options at the moment since you have to pay any fare difference for booking change. At least taking voucher and your money can spend on other things, not total loss.

Jetstar Customer Guarantee

Jetstar Customer Guarantee says that

8. You can have confidence in how quickly we will refund your money
Where we've offered you a refund, we know that getting your money back in a timely manner is important too. That's why we commit to completing any refund within 15 business days of agreeing to it, assuming your account details are valid.

If we haven't kept this promise, call us and we will provide you with a $50 Jetstar travel voucher, in addition to your refund amount.

So if any of us being offered refund and is not done within 15bd then we can ask for a $50 voucher in additional to the refund!

Jetstar Customer Guarantee

Jetstar Customer Guarantee says that

8. You can have confidence in how quickly we will refund your money
Where we've offered you a refund, we know that getting your money back in a timely manner is important too. That's why we commit to completing any refund within 15 business days of agreeing to it, assuming your account details are valid.

If we haven't kept this promise, call us and we will provide you with a $50 Jetstar travel voucher, in addition to your refund amount.

So if any of us being offered refund and is not done within 15bd then we can ask for a $50 voucher in additional to the refund!

We actually reconsidered our

We actually reconsidered our option and called jetstar back and ask about how voucher works. The operator said we have to use the voucher all up at once and forfeit the rest! So what we can do is to rebook anything which cost more than our original price within this 3 months! I felt horrible at this point so i told the operator that i rather get a refund (without the hope that i can get one) and surpisingly she said yes i can get a refund! I was really confuse (but happy of course) and she said the money will be back in the account within 15 business days. Im not sure if they will honor this agreement and i didnt get any reference number. Guess we all just have to wait and see?

@P and P, you are really

@P and P, you are really lucky and as long as they have offered you the refund option and processing it, then you should get it. I think it is done case by case.

Myhusband & I are supposed to

Myhusband & I are supposed to be flying to Osaka in 5 weeks, have rung 3 times asking for a refund as we canot use a voucher to fly anywhere in the next 12 months due to business comittments, they said refunds were not an option when flying within our dates....

Hi, We were offered a full

Hi,
We were offered a full refund on March 28 so shouldn't be long before it is back in the account.
I will let you know as soon as it arrives. I did try to book alternate flights to NZ but was told that
if I used my credit I would lose the several thousands of dollars balance, so obviously I paid
up front!
Be polite, reasonable and firm when you call Jet Star and ask for a refund. Flight vouchers are
not always convenient as possibly you are like us and need to take your holidays at a specific
time due to work constraints etc. Be persistent and keep calling until you get what you want.
Denying you this is bad for getting your future custom. If you are nice to people they are going
to be more inclined to speak up for you. It must be very stressful for the operators at the moment
with all these unhappy people calling, so don't blame them. When you get your refund thank the
operator and ask them to thank Jet Star. Best Wishes
Suzie G.

Guys, If anyone

Guys,
If anyone got refund who is travelling to japan during May and June at Jetstar light / saver. Could you please give post your booking reference id, so that other people can claim refund based on that.

Your help is really appreciated by everyone in this thread.

cheers
Rizwan

Hi All, Good to read the

Hi All,

Good to read the comments and understand how folks are managing their travel to Japan in the tough time. My wife travels on the on 2nd of July and I on 6th July. Jet star have removed the Travel Alert update for Japan as of today (which allowed refund till June 30th June). They have asked to wait and watch if there will be any new announcement or alert. Hope Japan things settle down in Japan soon if people have to travel.

Cheers
'Rajan S

Well Dear Jet Star Clients, I

Well Dear Jet Star Clients,
I said I would get back to you when my money was credited to my account as promised. It was not, so I am on the phone now
asking why. GUESS WHAT? After being told by two operators I would get a full refund and after I made an alternate booking to NZ I have just been told I am only getting a voucher!
When rebooking to NZ, I asked the operator if she wanted me to use some of the credit that was coming to me in 15 business days, after going away and speaking to a supervisor she came back and said that if I did I would lose
a balance of more than $2000! She suggested and I decided to pay upfront, obviously!

I am so angry that I am being treated like this I can't begin to tell you.
I just finished this call after being on the phone for over an
hour. I have been told that I would have to wait another 15 business days for a refund. I said that I would need those funds to pay for my holiday expenses in NZ. I was then told that they might be able to fast track my refund from 5-7 more business days, but then again, maybe not.
I asked for a supervisor but was told that was not possible. The operator is as much a victim of the Jetstar system as us. (I think)
I said that after what has happened so far how could anyone have any possible faith in what is promised by them?
She told me she would write out my complaint onto my file and told me in future that I should take the name of every person I spoke to at Jetstar. I also said that if I was not being truthful and that I was offered a voucher by Jetstar, why had I not received one by email or in the post?
Do they really think I would go ahead and book flights with them again after this debacle and if I was going to lose so much money? I cancelled Japan on 27th May rebooked on March 31st and above Rajan says Jetstar was offering refunds until June 30th. Our original flights were for 11th May and our new flights to NZ are on 6th May. Try and work this company out!
It's almost like the scenario people are going through dealing with Insurance Companies after the floods, completely unAustralian!
The lesson is write down who you talk to, what they promise and know that it is probably a whole lot of BS anyway!
Best wishes Suzie G.

See my comment on other Japan

See my comment on other Japan thread @ http://www.dontflyjetstar.com/complaints/refunds-japan?page=2#comment-2268
I was one of the lucky ones in this instance.

After seeing Ms M and Yimma

After seeing Ms M and Yimma sucessful claim, I rung back to JS and check my refund status (for flight departs for Tokyo end of June and original refund claim on 25/3/2011 before JS formal annoucement on Apr 1) which was originally declined but was reinstated (after whatever the reasons and bull shit) in the fast track queue now. I was told by the latest operator that should confirm in 5-7 working days (by this Friday) and I should have a confirmation and subsequant fund return back to my CC. WTF that they have wrong email address against my booking, what ever can be happened. I asked change for the right email address. Hopefully a confirmation email would come in the next couple of days. I will let everyone know the outcome.

I just think if you struggled with the refund process, you need to hassle the JS careless staff every couple of days, don't trust them and wait until the end of 15 business days period, what could eventually have bad thing happened.

Finger crossed this time.!

Just in response to no on in

Just in response to no on in their right mind wanting to travel to japan in the next 2weeks, there are plenty of japanese natives in australia wanting to get home...? Think of that?

Anonymous, are you

Anonymous, are you insinuating that any of us commenting here are not sympathetic to those Japanese wanting to get home to face who-knows-what? There are forums for those people to express their concerns, this is not the one. I'm from Brisbane so after all Qld (and Victoria, Christchurch etc etc) has been through so far this year, excuse me if don't want to head into another disaster zone right now, thank you very much!

Gee anonymous, do you think

Gee anonymous, do you think that our hearts are not with the people of Japan at this time?
There is nothing preventing Japanese residents returning home at anytime that suits them.
We love Japan but just don't want to risk potential radiation exposure by going there.
We value our lives and those of our loved ones and our hearts bleed for the suffering of the
Japanese people.
We will return when it is safe to do so.
This blog is just a way that people
can voice their experiences with others about their dealings with Jetstar during this tragedy,
the frustration at a seeming lack of staff training and the different and conflicting messages
we have all been given. We are on the Jet Star mailing list because we have flown with them
many times before.
They send us special offers to lure us into buying flights we were not planning.
You read the offer and you reason, what the heck, perhaps I can do that for my family,
(even though I am flying to Europe in September). (Okay I admit it, I was sucked in!)
They are so happy, excited and appreciative.
They can't afford a holiday because of mortgages etc. and they really need
a break because they work so hard! What should be a wonderful gift
to my family has been soured by an empty promise of a refund which enticed me to book to NZ on Jetstar,
then the rug is pulled out from under me again by someone saying my information was wrong I can get a
voucher, which I don't want and after a lengthy conversation I may or may not have that refund granted.
I have had to beg for the money so I can pay for hotels, food, transport in NZ. It shouldn't be like this!
Nothing can justify this treatment of well intentioned, repeat, paying customers!
Regards Suzie G>