A Jetstar passenger who was allegedly assaulted and abused by an unruly passenger resulting in a flight to Bali being canceled is furious after the airline denied him any compensation.
Peter Cogan said he was the main target of the passenger’s outbursts and was even physically attacked on the ill-fated Jetstar flight JQ43 from Melbourne to Bali, which was bumped back six hours into the flight due to the woman’s antics.
Cogan said Jetstar’s handling of the situation has been “deplorable” and he has been denied any compensation for the traumatic experience, including even a rejected request for an upgrade on another flight.
The chaotic scene inside Jetstar flight JQ43 from Melbourne to Bali before it was turned back six hours into the flight due to the actions of an unruly passenger (pictured, centre)
“I was the one who got upset, the whole thing was a disaster – the woman should never have been allowed on the plane, she was punching walls and cursing in the lounge beforehand,” Mr Cogan said.
Cogan said he had to dodge a punch the woman threw at him, which he largely dodged, but she still knocked his glasses off his face.
He said she had also threatened him with bad words.
He alleges the woman said: “I don’t care how fucking old you are, you old bastard, get up so I can hit you.”
“I’ve never been spoken to or seen abused like that in my life,” Cogan told Sky News.
“I’ve been in pubs and managed hotels for years and it was the worst language I’ve ever heard in my life.
Cogan said he and his partner were “traumatized” by the episode, which even gave them nightmares.
She accused Jetstar of compounding her distress by dismissing her complaints.
“Trying to get someone from customer service was impossible,” Mr. Cogan said.
‘We ended up on a chat line with someone from the Philippines who didn’t even know about the incident.
“All this back and forth went on for about four weeks and we were finally told there was no compensation available.
“Anyone on that flight who had a package would have lost their accommodation and Jetstar offered no compensation.”
Even a request to upgrade his next Jetstar flight was rejected, Cogan said.
Cogan is preparing to escalate his complaints to the Airline Ombudsman “to go further.”
“It’s not just me and I was the most affected on the flight,” he said.
“Everyone on that flight should have received $100 or $200 from Jetstar.”
A Jetstar spokesperson told Sky News that all measures were taken to accommodate customers on the flight.
These included rescheduling the flight, providing overnight accommodation in Melbourne and covering meals, adding that they will review future claims on a case-by-case basis.
Kyle Hand, who was also on the aborted flight, said the chaotic scenes began after the woman spent 30 minutes in the bathroom.
Jetstar passenger Peter Cogan, who says he is the main target of the woman’s verbal and even physical attacks, says the airline has not offered any compensation for the traumatic experience.
Hand added that the woman was pacing up and down the aisle of the plane before swearing at a man.
“I’d say the guy was about 75 years old, and that’s when it really started,” Hand told Sunrise.
Another passenger claimed that the woman went on a tirade mid-flight and even banged on the cabin door because she believed someone had stolen her phone.
“Jetstar flight from Melbourne to Bali returned to Melbourne today because a woman went crazy and banged on the cabin door because she thought someone had stolen her phone,” the passenger wrote on Facebook.
The unruly passenger began yelling at other travelers before she was finally restrained.
“I’m not sure what happened, but she continued to abuse a few more people from behind; they ended up pinning her down,” Hand said.
Hand said another passenger told him the woman was acting “erratically” before she even boarded the flight.
“Passengers next to me mentioned that they saw her acting quite erratically just before boarding the plane,” Hand said.
A Jetstar spokesperson told WhatsNew2Day Australia on Wednesday that the airline “learned” that the aborted flight “was a difficult experience for other customers and members of our team.”
The airline said it provided overnight accommodations to customers who needed it and covered other “reasonable expenses” such as meals.
Jetstar’s policy is to review compensation claims on a case-by-case basis.