Last week my family & I (2 adults & 2 children) were flying back from New Zealand. On check in with Jetstar we were told our checked baggage was 9 kg over weight but our hand luggage was 12 kg under weight. Now any reasonable person with the capacity for common sense and rational thought would think: 9 – 12 = 3 kg under total weight, that's fine. However, we were not dealing with a rational Jetstar employee capable of common sense or rational thinking.
So there, at the check-in desk, with 2 young children to look after, we were asked us to re-pack our bags & take 9 kgs out of one set of bags and re-pack it into another set of bags (all going on the same plane!). If we did not comply Jetstar would charge us $225 for excess baggage. No amount of pleading or reasoning would defer this absurdity. So out came shoes, sleeping bags, bags of dirty washing etc... When asked why we were doing this she could only shrug and say "It's the rules". At one stage she said if we couldn't fit it all into our hand luggage we would have to buy another bag! When pressed on the nonsensical nature of this messy, time consuming & absurd operation she said "If you don't like it - take it up with Jetstar". And so with the very real threat of $225 extra we complied with this farcial process and walked away with loads of stuff we did not really with to be carrying which just added to the hassle of passing through security. At one point I look up from the chaos and see this Jetstar employee smiling at us and realised this woman was actually enjoying this bastardisation of random customers. I have registered a complaint with Jetstar but as yet have heard nothing.
The Monty Python Check-in Sketch
International
New Zealand-Christchurch
Australia-Melbourne - Tullamarine
Comments
Hey JChapman, I dont like
Hey JChapman, I dont like Jetstar as well but this time in your case they are in right side of the fence. A rule is a rule is arule, no matter how silly it is especially in flights. You are flying in a budget airline so they are strict in implementing it as a way to add more revenue. As far as weight allowance is concern I think jetstar has enough info when you book your flight so we are guided properly. these said, I still think jetstar has a stinking service.
Rubbish! When "a rule is a
Rubbish! When "a rule is a rule is a rule" governs operations and safety we are all in big trouble. People need to think - above all else - they need to think & reason. Otherwise they may as well be replaced by a machine.
I flew with Jestar in Dec and was 6kg over on the checked bag. The Jestar staff member asked if I had hand luggage - I had none - so she said "That's fine" and processed me without delay. That's the common sense approach I'm talking about. What is the problem there?
If taking 9 kgs out was a simple affair I wouldn't have a problem with it, but when you've got 2 young children and it takes 10 mins of mess and clutter when we were already running late then it becomes a farcical absurdity. The thing which really set me off was looking up in the middle of all this mess and seeing the Jetstar staff member watching us smiling. She was enjoying the show and a good opportunity to bastardise customers at every available chance. That is not OK.
Interestingly I made a complaint to Jetstar about this. The response came back indicating the Customer Experience staff response indicated that he hadn't even read the complaint (he thought I was asking for a refund for excess baggage - something which I had never even mentioned - because we did pay any). What hope is there for this lot?
"When 'a rule is a rule is a
"When 'a rule is a rule is a rule' governs operations and safety we are all in big trouble." So you would prefer no rules to be upheld at all regarding operations and safety? Then you'd really be seeing something like a Monty Python sketch. Maybe one would flash before your eyes shortly before you plummet to the earth in a fiery ball of twisted metal.
Your ability to mentally calculate the total weight of your checked luggage and hand luggage, while highly impressive, does not matter a tinker's cuss to Jetstar in this situation, who rely on having as much information as possible in advance regarding the weight of the luggage they are to expect and the position of said luggage on the plane (this is EXTREMELY important to flight operations and the balance of the plane in the air). When people turn up with inconsistent baggage weight the crew then have to completely reassess the overall weight of baggage and its positioning on the plane, right at the last minute, and it's exactly this sort of thing which causes the kind of delays everyone else on this site complain about.
Again, Jetstar were in the right in this situation, and I suggest you take your own advice and learn to "think and reason".
Martin, No I do not advocate
Martin,
No I do not advocate NO safety rules in air travel (do you work for Jetstar perhaps?). If you read my comment properly you would have figured that. The general concept is that rules need to be used IN CONJUNCTION with common sense, rather than as a SUBSTITUTE for it.
As for the aircraft's safety being thrown into serious jeopardy by 3kgs not being where they're supposed to be, that just plain absurd. The total weight of all luggage is recorded as a matter of routine and they would know exactly how much weight they have and where in all cases. If we were 3kgs over in total I could understand the fuss.
Honestly, reading some of these comments I feel like I am in an asylum run by the inmates - we are talking 9kgs spread over 4 bags here!!! It's not the 9kgs that matter - it was the hassle it caused and the attitude of the staff. I have flown many, many times with 8kgs over on that piece and 9kgs under on that piece without a problem, to suggest that this is a serious matter of air safety beggars belief. It's blind adherence to rules for the sake of rules under the guise of "safety" that causes delays.
Incidentally - they would have taken the luggage but just charged us about $100 for it - so much for "it's all about safety"! Which brings us back to what it's really about, money that is - safety has nothing to do with it. Pay more and we'll overlook that incredibly important safety rule - no problem.
Oh and.... I'm a pilot myself! So please don't try and bluff and BS me on what is safe and what is not in the air, I am a big fan of rules but can assure you that following rules without understanding them or thinking about them is very dangerous indeed.