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Hundreds of Australians are outraged after being stranded in Hawaii with minimal compensation from Jetstar after the budget airline abruptly canceled their flights home.
At least two Jetstar flights bound for Australia were canceled on Saturday, leaving about 600 people trapped in the expensive vacation center of Honolulu.
Stranded travelers have spent thousands of dollars on bloated food and emergency shelter, while also finding other ways to get back home.
Those who departed Hawaii without a flight were paid about $300 per room for a hotel room from the airline and only $50 per day for food and other necessities.
September was a month of chaos for Jetstar, after thousands were also stranded in Bali due to canceled flights.
About 600 Jetstar passengers are stranded in Hawaii after the budget airline canceled two flights (stock image)
Two Jetstar flights from Hawaii to Australia have been canceled in recent days, leaving about 600 passengers stranded. Pictured is a Jetstar aircraft
A Jetstar spokesperson said all affected passengers in Hawaii had been given an alternative flight back to Australia with Jetstar or another airline.
But this does not cover everyone’s experience, and some are severely left out by their ordeal.
An outraged customer said they were “forced to get a $3,000 Qantas flight.” People have warned me not to trust Jetstar.’
Another asked, ‘How could this happen? Six of us got the last seats on the Qantas flight back to Sydney in three days at an outrageous price in US$.’
The current exchange rate is $1.54 Australian to $1 US.
Jetstar said a lightning strike and a technical problem were the cause of the flight cancellations.
“One of our B787 aircraft was struck by lightning on its way to Cairns and another required a replacement thrust reverser part,” a spokesman told the Daily Mail Australia.
“A single B787 out of service means we have to find seats for another 300 customers. We do this by offering special services and booking seats with other airlines.
“Unfortunately, there are very few seats available during the school holidays, so our teams across the company are working out all options to get customers up and running as quickly as possible,” they said.
Hawaii (pictured) is a very popular destination for Australian travelers, many of whom travel with Jetstar
The airline said it never wants to “cancel a flight and will do everything it can to avoid it, but we will always put safety first.”
The Jetstar statement said the airline appreciates that “delays are extremely frustrating and we sincerely apologize for the impact this has on customers’ travel plans, especially during school holidays.”
“In the meantime, we provide support for accommodation and meals and reasonable expenses for those who are not at home, as well as offer refunds or vouchers for those who prefer not to travel,” the spokesperson said.
Jetstar said staff are working with travelers to try to compensate for their specific needs and circumstances.
But many passengers have used social media to express their anger at the airline.
“Waiting at 5am in Waikiki (resort) for taxi to airport for 10am flight home, receive a text message saying flight has been canceled for technical reasons,” one person tweeted.
Pictured is the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, also known as Honolulu International Airport. Two Jetstar flights from there to Australia have been canceled in recent days, leaving hundreds stranded
‘Take people abroad and leave them stranded? Disgraceful! No more Jetstar,” said another.
The latest travel chaos involving Jetstar comes just weeks after thousands of Australian travelers were stranded in Bali by the airline.
Some travelers had to wait five days to be rebooked on another Jetstar flight after multiple cancellations.
Some said they were stranded for up to a week, fearing the delays could affect their employment.
“We got caught up in it last night, the next direct flight to Sydney is next Friday, six days after our original flight,” one man tweeted.
Another said: ‘Thank you Jetstar, on my way back from Bali my 12.45pm flight has been rescheduled twice and if I don’t get to Melbourne tonight I will lose my job.’