1st July – Mackay to Newcastle by airline flight.

Jetstar what a joke!!! They tried hard not to allow me to fly home!!!

We were up early to catch the taxi from the marina to Mackay Airport. Caught taxi at 7.30am Arrived at airport at 7.50. Flight not yet open for booking luggage!!!  We are a bit early not wanting to miss this flight. 8.05 Check in opens. Have coffee and breakfast waiting 2 hours!! 10.00 board plane. 10.15 everyone ordered off plane as it won't start. Engineer must be flown from Brisbane!!!  Where's Eric Knowles when you need him. 10.45 Announcement - charter flight will be brought in to take passengers to Brisbane at 2pm. I will miss my connecting flight from Brisbane to Newcastle. 11.00 I argue profusely to get on next flight at 12.10. Check in lady refuses despite 47 vacant seats on next flight. 11.25 Finally someone has some common sense and allows passengers with connecting flights at Brisbane to transfer to next flight. I get lucky and I am on as I have no baggage. Other people have to wait for luggage to be unloaded from broken plane. 12.30 Plane finally takes off with many empty seats. Passengers with baggage not able to get on. Jetstar policy - check in closes 30 minutes before scheduled flight. 14.00 Arrive at Brisbane holding my previous issued boarding pass for connecting flight to Newcastle. 14.35 attempt to board plane with my boarding pass. “Sorry sir but you are not booked on this flight.”  “But I am holding the F....g boarding pass you idiot!!” 14.45 I am still standing waiting. All passengers are on the plane waiting to close doors. Flight fully booked. No seats available. Some idiot has cancelled my boarding pass and allocated seat to someone else. Lucky two passengers from previous flight had to retrieve their bags from carousel and re check in. (Jetstar Policy!!!) They have not enough time as check in closes 30 minutes before scheduled departure. 14.50 They still cannot find me in the system. I rant and rave. Finally someone has some common sense and amends my now defunct boarding pass with a pen and writes seat no on it and I walk on plane. Hostess thinks I have done it. Tries to seat me in original seat where another passenger is sitting. Goes back to flight deck and rings boarding gate. Confirms I am telling the truth and I take a seat. 16.15 plane lands at Newcastle 20 minutes late. My friend Bill is there to pick me up.

Jetstar tried real hard to stop me getting home!!!