A Jetstar passenger has burst into tears after being forced to pay hundreds of pounds for a new plane ticket home when she was told she could not use her existing ticket, booked under her married name, instead of her maiden name.
The 28-year-old, who wished to remain anonymous, was checking in for her flight to Melbourne on Sunday evening after a long weekend away in Hobart.
The self-service check-in terminals weren’t working, so she went to the booking counter to get tags for her luggage and was asked to show her ID, which she did by showing her driver’s license still in her maiden name.
While normally changing a name on a domestic Jetstar flight can be done for $70 because half of the return ticket had already been used, the woman was told she had to buy a new ticket in order to travel with her husband and friends to fly.
The $559 cost was almost double the price of her original $330 round-trip fare.
Despite her friends and husband considering spending an extra night in Hobart so the problem could be resolved, the woman decided to cover the cost of the new ticket.
“They made my friend cry,” said traveling companion Ammad Arshad 7news.com.au.
‘She was very distraught last night (Sunday) and during the flight.’
A Jetstar passenger was left in tears when she had to buy a new ticket because her return fare was booked in her married name, despite the only ID showing her maiden name
Mr Arshad said that the ‘experience felt like a predatory practice’.
He also described the additional charges as blatantly unfair under the circumstances.
The group ultimately split the cost of the new flight among them.
“Such tactics left us feeling frustrated and exploited, undermining the overall enjoyment of our trip,” Mr Arshad added.
‘They justified this by stating that as she had already completed part of the journey, a name change was not allowed.
“This was especially frustrating because their website clearly states that name changes can be made at any time for a $70 fee.”
Under the “Fees and Fees” section of its website, Jetstar states that names can be changed for $70 without giving up any terms, which are listed on another part of the site.
Jetstar has since offered to refund the passenger the extra fare she had to pay
“Name changes can be made for an individual passenger in a booking, but must apply to all flights for that passenger,” the website says on a page showing the rules for starting fares.
That section also states that name changes are not allowed on tickets purchased with Qantas Frequent Flyer Points Plus Pay, or on Jetstar or JAL Mileage.
However, there is no charge to change a name on a ticket from a maiden name to a married name if you do this before travel by contacting Jetstar.
A Jetstar spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia the passenger has since received a full refund of the additional $559 she was charged on Sunday evening.
“While it is a federal government requirement to travel with a ticket under your legal name and to show proof of identity upon request, we have reviewed this specific case and have reached out to refund the customer for the purchase of the new ticket. they said.