Low-cost carrier Jetstar Japan will cancel 70 domestic and international flights in June due to a shortage of pilots. The canceled flights will affect an estimated 7,500 customers, the airline said.
According to Jetstar Japan, some of its pilots had to take an extended leave from work due to illness, Fuji TV reported Tuesday. In addition, multiple delays to its training schedule prevented the airline from securing enough pilots to operate scheduled flights.
On Monday, officials from Jetstar Japan said that the pilot shortage was “due to a slip-up in shift management.” The carrier said pilots are taking days off in June to make up for missing holidays during the busy 10-day-long Golden Week period.
Jets said it expects its normal schedule to resume in July.
© Japan Today
21 Comments
Login to comment
Do the hustle
I got caught out by these cowboys canceling flights a couple of years ago and vowed never to fly with them again.
Christopher Smith
Also Jetstar Pacific Vietnam.
banger
one of the worst airline in japan.
got delayed for 6 hour ,no transport info/facility at the airport by jetstar staff and it was 3 am in the morning!!
never bother to fly with them again.one of the biggest rip off airline out there.
Disillusioned
In the world! Never fly with them! If they cancel a flight they will book you on the next available flight, which could be a week away or they will refund you 50% of your airfare.
I got caught with them in Hiroshima two years ago. They cancelled my 10pm flight at 8:30pm. There were no other flights available for two days. I ended up having to pay for two nights accommodation for two people in a hotel and buying a very expensive one-way tickets back to Tokyo with JAL. It ended up costing me double what I would have paid if I had bought the JAL tickets straight up, plus a couple of days salary. It was the first time and last time I will ever use Jetstar.
tonymax
I always believed when low cost carriers got introduced there would be the ups and downs which was quite obvious. Upside being flying from point A to point B for extremely cheap prices and the Downside being stories like this where you have last minute cancellations etc etc. The one part which I wish to caution all my friends is please be very careful with spare parts on airplanes. Its pretty obvious when airlines purchase something as small as nuts and bolts from the original manufacturer the cost of the product is something like 10 times higher than buying it out of a factory in China. Not too sure you want to take that chance.
tonymax
Its pretty simple mathematics. When low cost carriers are charging 300 dollars for a flight which would usually cost 1,500 there is no way those carriers can buy spare parts from the manufacturer.
Tony G
JT readers: "Give people more vacation, typical (insert derogative)"
...company gives vacation...
JT readers: " worst company ever!!!"
paradoxbox
possibly both, airline crews (pilots) don't have holiday hours like normal people. they're required by law not to work over a certain amount of hours per month, and there is specific mandatory rest requirements and rest periods built into the law.
due to the weird nature of this year's special Golden week holidays, it's likely that they weren't able to have every pilot meet the mandatory crew rest hours and still be available to fly. so they're taking it off all at once in a group.
I wonder which flights are going to be cut. typically if an airline can cut unprofitable flights, a move like this can save them. hundreds of thousands of dollars a day. if they simply cancel a normally empty but expensive to operate run, they save all costs on the trip both ways minus some. penalties paid to the regulator and token reimbursement to specific customers.
vinarius@pm.catv.ne.jp
I am beginning to wonder, where have all the working people gone ???.
C.haagen
The real reason why they are cancelling flights. Is due to the fact it is one of the worst airlines to work for in Japan. Pilot turnover rates are rediculous. I would not work their as a pilot from the stories I am aware of. But then again this is becomming common throughout Asia and the Middle east. Most expat pilots are returning to their native countries as the conditions are becomming third world for most airlines in these regions. A great example is Cathay pacific. I will nolonger put my family on their aircraft with the clowns they will attract with their new measley salary and conditions. Nearly every non Hongkong pilot is applying elsewhere or awaiting retirement.
ozziedesigner
@Disillusioned = i wasn't aware that Jetstar flew into Hiroshima airport ! ?
DaDude
I never had a problem with Jetstar international flights but they did cancel my KIX-NRT flight 30 minutes before take off. They told me to that however I decide to go to Tokyo that they will reimburse whatever I pay as long as I kept receipts. So the only choice I had was shinkansen. After sending my receipts, all they sent me was a travel voucher. Oh well, I had a good trip to Okinawa out of it.
kiwiboy
I had one amazing experience I'll never forget:
In 2012 we were on the plane at Gold Coast Airport ready to depart when we had a mechanical problem. We waited on the plane an hour before they announced that the problem would be fixed soon, but we'd miss Narita Airport's curfew so could no longer fly.
We were the last flight of the day and the customs staff had already gone home, so once they all got back to the airport we were offloaded.
Some people were bussed to Brisbane for flights later that night which would arrive in Tokyo first thing the next morning.
Because I was near the back of the line, those flights were full up. However I (and those around me - I'd made friends by this point!) got the best deal I think.
We were bussed to a 4-star hotel just out of the city. We were given a buffet dinner (which was amazing! Roast beef and lamb - yum!) with drink vouchers (free wine!). The hotel room (with a King bed) was fantastic too!
The next day were bussed to Brisbane Airport for a short flight to Cairns to connect with Japan-bound flights. I asked to change to a Kansai Airport flight instead (closer to home) which they happily accommodated.
We got meal vouchers for both Brisbane and Cairns Airports, and I got free meals and a video screen on the flight back to Japan. I should have pushed my luck and asked for a business class seat! Oops!
Lastly we got a $150 voucher to use on any JetStar flight within 6 months. I didn't use it, but the gesture was nice.
I very much enjoyed my delay. And given I was able to fly to Kansai instead of Narita, I got home only about 6-8hrs behind schedule! Thanks Jet Star!!
CaptDingleheimer
They should hire some of the out-of-work drunk pilots from JAL.
kiwiboy
I should follow that up by saying their short-haul flights are a lot less comfortable than between Japan and Australia.
I fly Osaka - Taipei a lot and it's pretty poor. The planes are smaller than to Australia obviously (A320s instead of A330s), but for some reason JetStar feels a lot more cramped than other LCCs flying the same A320s around Asia.
Peach is great. Tiger Air's OK. And Scoot on the Osaka - Kaohsiung leg is a dream as far as LCCs go.
But hey! For the price we really can't complain.
If you REALLY need to be somewhere on time, go a day early.
mazzda
Yes it’s cheap but haven’t been inconvenienced yet after 10 years flying. Lucky!
Aiko Sato
Worst airline!!!
naschan
Hello everyone
Sorry, I work for jetstar japan right now, ( *I am not a pilot*** ) every employee has to enjoy her holidays with her family. There is a lack of airline pilot on the market, our company also suffers from this problem. But every day, we work hard to offer you a safe trip with a very low price. Reading your comment, I tell myself that there is a lot of work to be done to improve our image. Being an employee,( **Ramp Agent ) I apologize if your flight or next flight may be canceled, but I hope to see you again soon.
PS: It is not the employer who pays the wages. Employers only handle the money. It is the customer who pays the wages
Best regards,
Naschan