Ms Lim also booked replacement flights for her trip to Surabaya. She initially chose Jetstar Asia because the flight back to Singapore was scheduled in the afternoon, whereas Scoot’s flight was in the morning.
She said prices for Scoot’s flights seemed to be rising when she checked them today, but she managed to get a Singapore Airlines flight and “peace of mind” for about the same price as her original Jetstar Asia tickets.
CNA has contacted Jetstar Asia to ask how many passengers are affected by the cancelled flights.
Travel agency Chan Brothers Travel said Jetstar Asia did not inform it in advance about the impending closure.
“Like the general public, we only became aware of Jetstar Asia’s planned closure today,” said Ms Trista Foo, senior marketing communications executive at the company.
She said Chan Brothers has contacted Jetstar Asia to understand how its bookings will be affected and to seek clarity on the cessation process, and is waiting for more information from the airline.
Chan Brothers’ customers fly Jetstar Asia for tours to Okinawa and Broome, a town in Australia. Both direct flights from Singapore are offered only by Jetstar Asia.
Ms Foo said her company is offering customers alternative flights to Okinawa with stopovers in Hong Kong or Taipei, where the journey will be about 2.5 hours longer.
“Customers will be informed of any marginal fare top-up required for these alternative flight options,” she said, adding that they can also change their destination or cancel their bookings.
For Broome, the direct flight is four hours long, and transit flights usually extend travel time to around 10 hours, she said.
“This significantly longer travel duration will affect overall experience and impact demand for Broome as a destination from Singapore,” added Ms Foo.
Tour agency EU Holidays said only a handful of customers would be affected by the closure of Jetstar Asia. These are independent travellers who engage the agency’s help in booking their trips, said director Wong Yew Hoong.
“Normally, our group tours (use) full-service carriers,” he said.
EU Holidays will inform customers who are affected and alternative arrangements will be made where needed.
If they cannot be placed on different flights, Jetstar Asia will refund EU Holidays, which will in turn refund its customers.
CNA has contacted other travel agencies to ask about how the airline’s closure may affect their customers.
Consumers Association of Singapore president Melvin Yong said in a Facebook post that it is working with Jetstar Asia to clarify how it intends to “handle and process” the refunds and rescheduled flights, as well as the recourse for customers in disputes.
