Stranded teen left ‘terrified’
A teenager has slammed Jetstar’s customer service after being left ‘‘terrified’’ and stranded alone in Auckland with just an $8 food voucher, after her flight from Queenstown was diverted on Thursday.
Frankie Huthnance, 15, had to find her own way home to Wellington on an Air Chathams flight out of Auckland on Thursday evening, after severe gales across the capital caused massive disruptions to airlines.
‘‘I was literally on the phone with my dad crying because that was the first time I’ve flown alone, and they were giving me zero help,’’ Huthnance said.
‘‘They were terrible at communicating information, and they just seem to not have the best interest of their customers at heart, which is really disappointing. All I was given was an $8 food voucher.’’
Huthnance’s ordeal began when bad weather conditions made it apparent to passengers on the 10.45am flight out of Queenstown that they would be unable to land in Wellington, despite little communication from Jetstar’s flight staff.
After landing in Auckland after 1pm, Huthnance says passengers remained unaware they would be stuck there without a flight home.
Eventually they were informed they would have to queue with hundreds of others and pay for a ticket to secure a spot on a 12-hour bus trip to Wellington.
‘‘We actually bought her a ticket, so it wasn’t provided by the airline,’’ said Frankie’s father, Will Huthnance, who was waiting anxiously at home in Wellington.
‘‘It felt pretty dire. I was trying to find people in Auckland, who could come and get her and, in the worst case, I’d have to drive to Auckland.’’
Huthnance was left ‘‘scared and alone’’ and brought to tears during the ‘‘panic attack-inducing’’ flight chaos, before she eventually learned there were no more buses available.
‘‘I made it to the front of the line. I was then informed there were no spaces on the buses.’’
She says staff at Jetstar’s service desk had no answers when she explained she was under 18, could not drive and was too young to legally book a hotel.