Whats that you say... No pilot

I will start my rant by saying I'm a GOLD frequent flyer with Qantas as is my wife. I am also a senior manager in a large company that up until last week flew with both Qantas and their substandard cheap alternative Jetstar. We are moving everything we have. Never will we fly with these arrogant donkeys behinds again.

We a family of four booked our flight with Jetstar travelling from Sydney to Christchurch. Departure date was last Thursday 25th of November. 8.55am scheduled. Luckily I subscribe to a iphone application that monitors flight delays and I got a txt at 10.30pm the night before saying that the flight was delayed. I rang Jetsar to confirm and got nothing but a rude ignorant customer rep who tried to tell me that it was a scheduled change that they told me about and I had responded to in October. I explained that she had no idea what she was saying and that that change was a 5 min change to the timetable not a 2 hour delay. She put me on hold for 20 mins. needless to say i hung up before they came back tome.

Checked again in the morning and all seemed well new departure time of 10.40. Ok no big deal, delays happen. Arrive at the airport check in all good. Then go to gate then find out there is a delay. But only found out because we sat on the floor at the gate near the gate guardians and could overhear the conversations.

The pilot did not show up!!! so they need an alternate and despite there being three, pilots travelling on the plane, all of who could legally fly the sector , we waited for another 2 hours why they found one. (*it ended up being an Air New Zealand Pilot!) Unbelievable!

My gripe is this.

No communication from ground crew on problem or timing. We were treated like second class citizens
No apology at all, in fact it was oh well your flying on a cheap airline and that's what you get. attitude
We lost a full day of a valuable holiday because of poor management not because of mechanical fault. (which they tried to pass it off as)
Flight crew were more than rude. They sat at the front talking to the pilots travelling over in the cabin and filling up the glasses of obvious friends seated two rows back. (not a lot of money exchanged hands for those complimentary drinks for the chosen few

I will never fly with them again. Nor my family nor my company. I have had it with both Qantas and now Jetstar. Arrogant is too nice for their F%^&#@ up attitude.

I've experienced plenty of delays in the past this was the most poorly managed one ever. My 8 year old communicates better.