Late schedule changes affect travel plans

Jetstar says it had to build more fat into its flights schedule. Photo / Greg Bowker

Jetstar has assured passengers its domestic schedule is locked in until the end of October after a late rejig which has left some angry.

The airline said the changes - which ranged from around five minutes in most cases to almost five hours in one - were needed to help build more fat into the schedule.

Notification of passengers affected began on Tuesday, just nine days before they came into effect.

The airline began flying Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown routes last week and realised the timetable was too tight, spokesman Simon Westaway said.

"It presented well on paper but operationally it presented a few difficulties. Some of that is linked to the infrastructure we're operating out of and some to the weather."

While the airline had modified its schedule once already before it started flying, he said it was sorry the latest changes had been imposed at such short notice.

One Auckland woman said she regretted booking with Jetstar after the change which had badly disrupted connecting transport arrangements for a South Island family holiday in July.

"We could have gone for slightly more on Air New Zealand but we wanted to give the new guys a go."

Mr Westaway said anyone whose flight had been changed by more than two hours would be offered a new time or a refund, those affected by less than two hours would be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

The revised schedule was in place until October 24 and like other airlines was typically subject to change twice a year.

Jetstar has replaced Qantas on domestic routes and Mr Westaway said the delays that have hit were to be expected in the early days.

Besides increased flexibility from the extra A320 aircraft, extra time had been allowed to service and load aircraft and in the air on the Auckland-Wellington route.

The airline had invested $250 million in New Zealand, had plans to expand and was confident of overcoming some early glitches.

"We've got pretty thick skins - we're investing for the long term."

House of Travel retail director Brent Thomas said travel agents found customers looked for reliable scheduling, on time performance and price.