Honeymoon 'nightmare' blamed on Jetstar

Photo / File

An Auckland couple has vowed never to fly Jetstar again after their honeymoon turned into a "nightmare".

Papakura residents Lila De Castro, 35, and her husband were married in Queenstown over the weekend and planned to spend their honeymoon in a Lakes holiday home.

The bach was initially booked for the newly weds, Lila's brother and her best friend until yesterday.

However a series of flight cancellations on Monday and Tuesday meant friends and family were forced to doss at the couple's holiday home, including her parents.

"My maid of honour had to stay on the floor as there wasn't enough rooms in the house.

"We had to put a lot of pillows as there were no beds. It was terrible."

She was also critical of Jetstar's customer service.

"We asked them if they could book accommodation for us but they said we had to book it and they would pay us back later."

The short holiday turned even worse, when the couple's flight back to Auckland was also delayed this afternoon until tomorrow.

Mrs de Castro said the airline eventually paid for a hotel nearby for the night.

Speaking from a hotel lobby, she said the series of flight cancellations was a nightmare.

"We were running around making sure everyone was where they were meant to be.

"We wanted to drive to Wanaka and go on a picnic but yesterday we ended up doing nothing because we had to pick up our friends from the airport as their flights were cancelled."

The couple's flight is scheduled to leave at 8.30am tomorrow.

However they would never fly Jetstar again.

"Even if the flights were $50 more on Air New Zealand I would go with them from now."

Scarlett Teng was one of several guests whose return flight was cancelled after the wedding.

"[On Wednesday] morning at about 7am we got a text saying our flight had been cancelled. We went to Jetstar service at the airport and they basically said, 'It is common, we can't help you'."

Ms Teng said she and her partner were asked by a Jetstar customer service representative to find a hotel for the night.

"We had already checked out. Queenstown is so busy there was no way you could find a hotel in a short period.

"Finally they said, 'Ok you can... go to the Hilton'. We went there and they said, 'No Jetstar didn't book any room for you guys."

Ms Teng said the experience had ruined the couple's trip.

Of the 20-odd guests coming from Auckland for the wedding, nearly all had flights that were delayed or cancelled, she said.

A Jetstar spokeswoman apologised for the cancellations, which resulted from "engineering requirements".

"We understand how important our passengers' travel plans are and we regret these delays, so we appreciate their understanding that safety is our first priority.

"We offered these passengers accommodation options overnight, and scheduled special flights for them to continue their journeys as soon as possible the next day."

Each passenger was offered accommodation and a $30 daily credit for use at their hotel, or the option to source alternative accommodation and be reimbursed NZD$150 per room.