Jetstar reservations system goes pearshaped - AGAIN!!!
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Jetstar reservations system goes pearshaped - AGAIN!!!
Well sportsfans, it has happened again.
The Jetstar online booking engine has been dodgy to unavailable for the last 36 hours.
I have been waiting for copies of a revised itinerary for a client for over 12 hours now and can't even get onto the system at the moment.
My office manager was on hold for over an hour today to get the Asian call centre (nice one Jetstar - why not employ Asians who know nothing -don't start me!) to regenerate an itinerary which still hasn't arrived.
We are told on a regular basis that the itinerary may take up to 24 hours to arrive.
WHY!!!
For God's sake. I get itineraries from Flybe within 30 seconds.
It would appear that the Asia/Pacific leading low cost carrier is using a Commodore 64 as its booking engine.
This is extremely frustrating and costing us alleged Travel Professionals time and effort and not endearing the brand to us at all. Low cost carrier bookings are a necessary evil that one should be able to finalise and hand off the documentation then get on with something else.
Does anyone involved with JQ know why this amateur hour performance is going on?
Their reservations system is as reliable as a Russian watch movement.
Best all
EWL
The Jetstar online booking engine has been dodgy to unavailable for the last 36 hours.
I have been waiting for copies of a revised itinerary for a client for over 12 hours now and can't even get onto the system at the moment.
My office manager was on hold for over an hour today to get the Asian call centre (nice one Jetstar - why not employ Asians who know nothing -don't start me!) to regenerate an itinerary which still hasn't arrived.
We are told on a regular basis that the itinerary may take up to 24 hours to arrive.
WHY!!!
For God's sake. I get itineraries from Flybe within 30 seconds.
It would appear that the Asia/Pacific leading low cost carrier is using a Commodore 64 as its booking engine.
This is extremely frustrating and costing us alleged Travel Professionals time and effort and not endearing the brand to us at all. Low cost carrier bookings are a necessary evil that one should be able to finalise and hand off the documentation then get on with something else.
Does anyone involved with JQ know why this amateur hour performance is going on?
Their reservations system is as reliable as a Russian watch movement.
Best all
EWL
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Westy will no doubt trot out the well worn Joyce line at the presser
eg: our external suppliers had an airconditioning failure at all of their data centres at the very same moment and they didn't tell us - we're looking to clear the backlog with extra [sic: QF] flights and we will of course be looking to our IT suppliers for an explanation because the ones we keep using are getting a little tired. ....sorry can't take anymore questions - I've got a cross to Sunrise in 60 seconds....- you know they take priority as we sponsor Sunrise and AJ gave Kochie an upgrade to first last month.......have I told you the latest goss about the Qantas Pilots and Engineers - but its off record and you can't quote me.....
...........even the credability has been outsourced to dodgy suppliers
eg: our external suppliers had an airconditioning failure at all of their data centres at the very same moment and they didn't tell us - we're looking to clear the backlog with extra [sic: QF] flights and we will of course be looking to our IT suppliers for an explanation because the ones we keep using are getting a little tired. ....sorry can't take anymore questions - I've got a cross to Sunrise in 60 seconds....- you know they take priority as we sponsor Sunrise and AJ gave Kochie an upgrade to first last month.......have I told you the latest goss about the Qantas Pilots and Engineers - but its off record and you can't quote me.....
...........even the credability has been outsourced to dodgy suppliers
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Well the itinerary sent at 1030 yesterday finally staggered in at 0310 this morning and that was just the 1st.
There has been no sign of the other 2 attempts yet.
You are actually told by Manuel, Consuela or whoever the offshore reservations rep may be that the itinerary may be up to 24 hours in arriving.
That is really handy for corporate clients, invoicing etc. A booking that should be finalised within minutes can take a day and a half to get off the desk and you have no proper itinerary to send them. The screen display itinerary will not fax properly (of bloody course).
If I was really nice I could say the airline is like a Mercedes that can't turn left.
I'm not.
It is more like a second hand Hyundai that can't - period!
They have just changed the look of their website and guess what? It takes a full 20 seconds extra to log in.
Getting your booking list on the screen takes a full 90 seconds IF it doesn't time out.
All of this affects those of you good people who crew JQ and work the aeroplanes as everything they change seems to make the airline less saleable. Even the Aussie based Agent help line has been outsourced to Consuela and whatsisface and friends in Marneeelar or wherever.
Over it.
Best all
EWL
There has been no sign of the other 2 attempts yet.
You are actually told by Manuel, Consuela or whoever the offshore reservations rep may be that the itinerary may be up to 24 hours in arriving.
That is really handy for corporate clients, invoicing etc. A booking that should be finalised within minutes can take a day and a half to get off the desk and you have no proper itinerary to send them. The screen display itinerary will not fax properly (of bloody course).
If I was really nice I could say the airline is like a Mercedes that can't turn left.
I'm not.
It is more like a second hand Hyundai that can't - period!
They have just changed the look of their website and guess what? It takes a full 20 seconds extra to log in.
Getting your booking list on the screen takes a full 90 seconds IF it doesn't time out.
All of this affects those of you good people who crew JQ and work the aeroplanes as everything they change seems to make the airline less saleable. Even the Aussie based Agent help line has been outsourced to Consuela and whatsisface and friends in Marneeelar or wherever.
Over it.
Best all
EWL
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Errr, aren't they having a whopping big sale that is most likely creating huge demand? I know my office was a buzz with interest in 2 for 1 deals. Dare any reservation system to cope with that level of demand.... and EWL, before you bleat about your corporates wanting invoices, most of them are probably online booking their holidays, adding to the demand 
Chin up, surely the sale will end shortly. Brand's not all about how long the itinerary takes to get to you
Cheers
Prado
Chin up, surely the sale will end shortly. Brand's not all about how long the itinerary takes to get to you
Cheers
Prado
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I see your point Prado. BUT for the sake of $10 a sector my Corporates prefer us to have the nosebleed rather than tie their staff up for ages fighting with the Commodore 64 that Jetstar use.
One would think that if you are going to have "sales" that you would have a system capabale of coping with the demand and it takes forever even in non "sale" times to get an itinerary on your email.
Second rate in anybody's books and I struggle to understand why you softly defend this. It is bad for the Airline, it is bad for those who chase the sales and it is a total negative for our high yield Star Class clients when you cannot get them an answer in a timely fashion.
If you need a booking straight away and want to get the pertinent docs off to a passengser what do you think we as Travel arrangers are going to default to on multi carrier routes? Apart from the crappy no commission and add it at the coal face approach which is negative 1, there are all the other black holes like non connectivity with bags which DJ offers on a limited (not all possible flights) basis and a call centre and system that does not even recognise the fact that HNL is the other side of the date line that nobody ever bothered to tell them about.
It is alll about delivery Prado, wether it be an itinerary or service.
I may only be a mere ticket issuer but I do know that service is everything. If an airline cannot in quick course deliver the basic instrument of travel via the system they push people towards then they are failing in my book.
Don't patronise Prado.
It ill befits you.
My Corporate clients book their private travel with us too as do our local leisure clientelle.
My pet hate is a system that does not perform correctly and Jetstars does not. That was the point of the post. A heads up.
EWL
One would think that if you are going to have "sales" that you would have a system capabale of coping with the demand and it takes forever even in non "sale" times to get an itinerary on your email.
Second rate in anybody's books and I struggle to understand why you softly defend this. It is bad for the Airline, it is bad for those who chase the sales and it is a total negative for our high yield Star Class clients when you cannot get them an answer in a timely fashion.
If you need a booking straight away and want to get the pertinent docs off to a passengser what do you think we as Travel arrangers are going to default to on multi carrier routes? Apart from the crappy no commission and add it at the coal face approach which is negative 1, there are all the other black holes like non connectivity with bags which DJ offers on a limited (not all possible flights) basis and a call centre and system that does not even recognise the fact that HNL is the other side of the date line that nobody ever bothered to tell them about.
It is alll about delivery Prado, wether it be an itinerary or service.
I may only be a mere ticket issuer but I do know that service is everything. If an airline cannot in quick course deliver the basic instrument of travel via the system they push people towards then they are failing in my book.
Don't patronise Prado.
It ill befits you.
My Corporate clients book their private travel with us too as do our local leisure clientelle.
My pet hate is a system that does not perform correctly and Jetstars does not. That was the point of the post. A heads up.
EWL
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EWL,
I am just putting forward a perspective for you. It is hardly patronising, particularly when compared with the tone of your initial post. It is plain to see that you do not like the product. However, as a travel professional, most of your role is doing as your corporates ask, and my experience is that most corporates now want best fare, same as they want best deal on a vehicle purchase, accommodation, office equipment yada yada yada.
None of the negatives you raise in your subsequent posts are hidden by Jetstar. They may annoy you, they may annoy some of the punters, but they are not hidden. They don't even hide the fact that the itineraries will take 24 hours. Punters will weigh the pros and cons .... transfer my own bags, but know there is a fighting chance they'll end up at the same destination as me, and save a couple of hundred for the effort, I think I'll do it. Pay premium rates for connectivity, miss my connection due to late aircraft and then find my bags are still a couple of stops behind me? Sure the travel arranger may feel warm and fuzzy that they got their itinerary in 30 seconds and a similar but different commission, but is the punter happy? When booking any airline on line, the answers are instantaneous, so there is no waiting for answers, only intineraries - but you do have confirmation number & flight details on the spot.
I go back to my original statement, I dare you to find any booking engine that will cope with the demand that a ripper Jetstar sale does (and yes, I battled the slowness to get my 2 for 1 deal). Yes it's annoying when it goes slow, but the sun still rises. I say again, I am not patronising you, but I do wait for some balance in your posts. Let's hear some of the stories of connectivity gone wrong, bags never to be seen again, poor business class pickings on a premium carrier. Plenty of those stories out there, but either your punters aren't telling you, or you're not tellin' us!
Cheers
Prado
I am just putting forward a perspective for you. It is hardly patronising, particularly when compared with the tone of your initial post. It is plain to see that you do not like the product. However, as a travel professional, most of your role is doing as your corporates ask, and my experience is that most corporates now want best fare, same as they want best deal on a vehicle purchase, accommodation, office equipment yada yada yada.
None of the negatives you raise in your subsequent posts are hidden by Jetstar. They may annoy you, they may annoy some of the punters, but they are not hidden. They don't even hide the fact that the itineraries will take 24 hours. Punters will weigh the pros and cons .... transfer my own bags, but know there is a fighting chance they'll end up at the same destination as me, and save a couple of hundred for the effort, I think I'll do it. Pay premium rates for connectivity, miss my connection due to late aircraft and then find my bags are still a couple of stops behind me? Sure the travel arranger may feel warm and fuzzy that they got their itinerary in 30 seconds and a similar but different commission, but is the punter happy? When booking any airline on line, the answers are instantaneous, so there is no waiting for answers, only intineraries - but you do have confirmation number & flight details on the spot.
I go back to my original statement, I dare you to find any booking engine that will cope with the demand that a ripper Jetstar sale does (and yes, I battled the slowness to get my 2 for 1 deal). Yes it's annoying when it goes slow, but the sun still rises. I say again, I am not patronising you, but I do wait for some balance in your posts. Let's hear some of the stories of connectivity gone wrong, bags never to be seen again, poor business class pickings on a premium carrier. Plenty of those stories out there, but either your punters aren't telling you, or you're not tellin' us!
Cheers
Prado
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Points taken well Prado - however
The client gets offered the flight times that fits best despite the airline. They are advised of course if there is a baggage recheck issue.
Virgin offer connectivity so there is no issue if there is a delay. Passengers are accommodated. Jetstar to Qantas connections that fail due to a JQ delay are handled at no cost by QF and very well. QF to JQ delays are handled very badly and if you get a female (and this is in no way sexist but a factor with Asian and Arab or indeed Indian airline res rooms) everything becomes difficult because the ladies aren't allowed to operate outside the box and actually make a judgement call. The blokes aren't much better.
I have actually found booking engines that deliver itineraries within 30 seconds all the time. Virgin Australia, Adria Air, Gol, Rex, Singapore Air and so on. They do it consistently. Why not Jetstar?
Do you think Jetstar is doing themselves a favour by having a system that might if your lucky deliver an itinerary in a presentable format for a client a day after it is booked?
That was the whole reason for the post. A heads up on a problem that I have raised earlier.
Thankfully now I have 92 airlines I can issue tickets on via IATA BSP and this is total immediacy. That is what Corporates want.
With a low cost carrier an agent or a company booking direct needs closure and not having to go back and check over and over again or hang on the phone to Manila or wherever to get the final itinerary. We4 need closure too. The booking needs to be processed to the clients need, issued invoiced and over. If it drags out then the airline concerned does not endear itself at all.
For information JQ are not always the cheapest and there is generally only a couple of bucks between them and DJ and quite often QF daks the pair of them if you know how to search.
You may not be saving any dollars at all. Your DJ onto JQ connections may cost you a couple off hundred at an airport hotel plus the rebook fees.
EWL
The client gets offered the flight times that fits best despite the airline. They are advised of course if there is a baggage recheck issue.
Virgin offer connectivity so there is no issue if there is a delay. Passengers are accommodated. Jetstar to Qantas connections that fail due to a JQ delay are handled at no cost by QF and very well. QF to JQ delays are handled very badly and if you get a female (and this is in no way sexist but a factor with Asian and Arab or indeed Indian airline res rooms) everything becomes difficult because the ladies aren't allowed to operate outside the box and actually make a judgement call. The blokes aren't much better.
I have actually found booking engines that deliver itineraries within 30 seconds all the time. Virgin Australia, Adria Air, Gol, Rex, Singapore Air and so on. They do it consistently. Why not Jetstar?
Do you think Jetstar is doing themselves a favour by having a system that might if your lucky deliver an itinerary in a presentable format for a client a day after it is booked?
That was the whole reason for the post. A heads up on a problem that I have raised earlier.
Thankfully now I have 92 airlines I can issue tickets on via IATA BSP and this is total immediacy. That is what Corporates want.
With a low cost carrier an agent or a company booking direct needs closure and not having to go back and check over and over again or hang on the phone to Manila or wherever to get the final itinerary. We4 need closure too. The booking needs to be processed to the clients need, issued invoiced and over. If it drags out then the airline concerned does not endear itself at all.
For information JQ are not always the cheapest and there is generally only a couple of bucks between them and DJ and quite often QF daks the pair of them if you know how to search.
You may not be saving any dollars at all. Your DJ onto JQ connections may cost you a couple off hundred at an airport hotel plus the rebook fees.
EWL
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I have actually found booking engines that deliver itineraries within 30 seconds all the time. Virgin Australia, Adria Air, Gol, Rex, Singapore Air and so on. They do it consistently. Why not Jetstar?
Do you think Jetstar is doing themselves a favour by having a system that might if your lucky deliver an itinerary in a presentable format for a client a day after it is booked?
Do you think Jetstar is doing themselves a favour by having a system that might if your lucky deliver an itinerary in a presentable format for a client a day after it is booked?
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Dain, it has me beat as well.
They were both originally using the same system which was the one Ryanair used from memory. The front end seems to be the problem if the back ends are the same.
There is a lot of ineptitude and cost cutting being highlighted in the current debacle. I tried to get onto JQ Res until 0130 this morning, several times during the wee small hours and from "human" hours early this morning. Naturally no cigar but could not even get onto the system to hold. On a seperate booking got straight onto QF but as I understand they do no use VOIP lines so no engaged signal, just a 57 minute hold and a very helpful lady when I got there.
One cannot staff for this. Pity the poor dude who was on duty in the TN MEL res room when Cyclone Tracy took out Darwin. Management wouldn't even send him backup. He was on his own with all 3 lights and the buzzer going all night and no idea what was going on.
The gaps in the system that are highlighted by this cheap as chips mentality came again to my attention today.
A good client's son and partner had flown to HBA for a break with the parents and I got the rescue call as they were heading back from Coles Bay. Looked in the JQ system as well as QF and DJ and found JQ744 showing as operating. Can't get JQ to confirm but grabbed 2 seats and paid.
Also holding 2 on QFlink tomorrow from DPO at 1710 that will release once I have heard the flight exists.
JQ system shows JQ743/744 as operating and on schedule. melbourneairport.com.au and Qantas show the flight as cancelled. The QF codeshare is QF5743/5744.
The jury is still out as to whether this flight is operating or not. It is due to push back MEL in 5 minutes. I will advise.
Can you all imagine what would have been the outcome during the (you know the year) shutdown if we were relying on dodgy computer systems, offshore call centres and Indian IT companies responsible for their upkeep?
It does not bear consideration.
We seriously need the whole lot dragged back on shore and now. It may cost an extra $10 per sector on a domestic and maybe $50 per sector or whatever on an International but all of us whether crew or fillers of aeroplanes need certainty that only good systems provide.
Rant over good people.
Best all
EWL
They were both originally using the same system which was the one Ryanair used from memory. The front end seems to be the problem if the back ends are the same.
There is a lot of ineptitude and cost cutting being highlighted in the current debacle. I tried to get onto JQ Res until 0130 this morning, several times during the wee small hours and from "human" hours early this morning. Naturally no cigar but could not even get onto the system to hold. On a seperate booking got straight onto QF but as I understand they do no use VOIP lines so no engaged signal, just a 57 minute hold and a very helpful lady when I got there.
One cannot staff for this. Pity the poor dude who was on duty in the TN MEL res room when Cyclone Tracy took out Darwin. Management wouldn't even send him backup. He was on his own with all 3 lights and the buzzer going all night and no idea what was going on.
The gaps in the system that are highlighted by this cheap as chips mentality came again to my attention today.
A good client's son and partner had flown to HBA for a break with the parents and I got the rescue call as they were heading back from Coles Bay. Looked in the JQ system as well as QF and DJ and found JQ744 showing as operating. Can't get JQ to confirm but grabbed 2 seats and paid.
Also holding 2 on QFlink tomorrow from DPO at 1710 that will release once I have heard the flight exists.
JQ system shows JQ743/744 as operating and on schedule. melbourneairport.com.au and Qantas show the flight as cancelled. The QF codeshare is QF5743/5744.
The jury is still out as to whether this flight is operating or not. It is due to push back MEL in 5 minutes. I will advise.
Can you all imagine what would have been the outcome during the (you know the year) shutdown if we were relying on dodgy computer systems, offshore call centres and Indian IT companies responsible for their upkeep?
It does not bear consideration.
We seriously need the whole lot dragged back on shore and now. It may cost an extra $10 per sector on a domestic and maybe $50 per sector or whatever on an International but all of us whether crew or fillers of aeroplanes need certainty that only good systems provide.
Rant over good people.
Best all
EWL
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And guess what.
The flight that was shown in the JQ system MEL LST (JQ743) and LST MEL (JQ744) was non existant. The staff at LST were aware of this and had no way to get the flights removed from the systemk.
There, in a nutshell is my point.
JQ are employing nuff nuffs in Marneeelar or wherever that you cannot indeed contact in case of an event like this or indeed get sense out of in normal times.
There are not enough people on the deck to check that cancelled flights are indeed removed from the reservations system. The flight was still alive in QF Sabre direct link availability and there fore also in Amadeus. God knows how many thousands of bucks now have to be reclaimed after a wait period.
It is high time for people to realise this is a case of what you pay for is what you get. On a fine day with a serviceable areoplane all is going to be warm and fluffy.
7th birthday for Jetstar and they still haven't learned to read or write.
Ash cloud - not their fault. Misinformation and poor contact skills - their fault.
The nightmare has wings.
EWL
The flight that was shown in the JQ system MEL LST (JQ743) and LST MEL (JQ744) was non existant. The staff at LST were aware of this and had no way to get the flights removed from the systemk.
There, in a nutshell is my point.
JQ are employing nuff nuffs in Marneeelar or wherever that you cannot indeed contact in case of an event like this or indeed get sense out of in normal times.
There are not enough people on the deck to check that cancelled flights are indeed removed from the reservations system. The flight was still alive in QF Sabre direct link availability and there fore also in Amadeus. God knows how many thousands of bucks now have to be reclaimed after a wait period.
It is high time for people to realise this is a case of what you pay for is what you get. On a fine day with a serviceable areoplane all is going to be warm and fluffy.
7th birthday for Jetstar and they still haven't learned to read or write.
Ash cloud - not their fault. Misinformation and poor contact skills - their fault.
The nightmare has wings.
EWL
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Actually got through to JQ Res for a passenger tonight - about the 15th try and a 1 and a half hour hold which is the realms of accepability in the circumstances.
Out of adversity comes learning. The lady did a good job within her parameters.
One can ask no more than that.
I firmly believe the jobs in Res, Engineering and onboard crew should never be sourced offshore but in this instance they got it well and truly right.
If I had not bagged out what I didn't think should exist I would have said nothing.
These people deserve a living. They do not deserve a living over and above our people thouigh.
Wake up Jetstar and Virgin domestic.
British Airways has lost the smell of curry after realising the Mumbai call centre was as useful as a barbed wire tampon and American has pulled Manila for a Brissy number.
All is great until it went ashen faced.
Slap the accountants making these decisions - NOW and hard.
Best all.
EWL
Out of adversity comes learning. The lady did a good job within her parameters.
One can ask no more than that.
I firmly believe the jobs in Res, Engineering and onboard crew should never be sourced offshore but in this instance they got it well and truly right.
If I had not bagged out what I didn't think should exist I would have said nothing.
These people deserve a living. They do not deserve a living over and above our people thouigh.
Wake up Jetstar and Virgin domestic.
British Airways has lost the smell of curry after realising the Mumbai call centre was as useful as a barbed wire tampon and American has pulled Manila for a Brissy number.
All is great until it went ashen faced.
Slap the accountants making these decisions - NOW and hard.
Best all.
EWL
Last edited by Eastwest Loco; 15th Jun 2011 at 14:51.
