Jetstar boss launches desperate plea to Australians: “We apologize to everyone we’ve let down”
- Jetstar CEO apologizes for letting Australians down
- Stephanie Tully urged travelers to ‘give Jetstar a chance’
- She said the airline had returned to pre-pandemic levels.
Jetstar CEO Stephanie Tully has apologized to anyone the low-cost airline has let down during its 20-year history and implored travelers to “give Jetstar a chance.”
The CEO claimed that Jetstar had officially returned to pre-pandemic levels in terms of lower cancellation rates and better on-time performance.
Ms Tully discussed operations with 3AW’s Ross and Russel, who asked if customers who bought cheap seats could expect their flights to leave on time.
‘They will leave on time. And we apologize to everyone we have disappointed in our 20-year history,” he told radio hosts.
“But we want everyone to try Jetstar. I think Jetstar will be 20 years old next year, we have flown 400 million people since our inception and we play a unique role in Australia.
‘We democratize travel. We make travel possible for everyone and we love that emotional connection with people who might not otherwise travel, so it’s time to give Jetstar a try.”
Jetstar CEO Stephanie Tully (pictured) has apologized to anyone the budget airline has let down during its 20-year history as she implores travelers to “give Jetstar a chance.”
Ms Tully said Jetstar staff had been working “harder” to return to pre-pandemic performance and reduce cancellations, some of which she said were unavoidable due to factors such as weather.
He said the aviation industry had been in “hibernation” for several years and returning to pre-pandemic life posed significant challenges.
“We had a number of supply chain issues with parts, so we’ve had to work extra hard to make sure Jetstar is working the way people expect,” he said.
Ms Tully said that people wanting to go on holiday after the Covid lockdowns had created unprecedented levels of demand for flights.
“That supply and demand means you’ve seen higher prices, particularly internationally, but that’s starting to moderate as capacity returns,” he said.
“And that is the role that Jetstar plays in Australia, we are always going to be the fares, the price leader, we have a deal right now, we have fares for $29.
“In times of pressure, Jetstar is the place Australians turn to for low fares and we’re delighted when they come to us.”
Ms Tully said Jetstar had just taken delivery of its ninth A3121 NEO aircraft with the airline to have 18 of the new aircraft by the end of 2024.
Ms Tully (pictured) said Jetstar staff had been working “harder” to return to pre-pandemic performance and reduce the number of flight cancellations.
Ms Tully said people wanting to go on holiday after the Covid lockdowns had created unprecedented levels of demand for flights, but prices were coming down.
The Qantas group plans to receive a new aircraft every three weeks for the next few years as both airlines expand their fleets.
Ms Tully said the new aircraft would mean the network would be adjusted to accommodate more flights from Melbourne.
Government figures for June revealed that Jetstar and Qantas canceled 3.7 percent of their scheduled flights, ahead of Virgin with 4.2 percent and Skytrans with 3.6 percent, but behind Rex Airlines with only 2.2 percent.
In terms of arrivals, Jetstar flights were on time 67.1% of the time, just ahead of Virgin Australia flights at 65%, followed by Qantas at 70.7%, Rex Airlines at 72.3% and Skytrans with 83%.
For departures, 66.2 percent of Jetstar aircraft left on time compared to Virgin Australia at 67.6 percent, Qantas at 71.4 percent, Rex Airlines at 75.6 percent and Skytrans with 80.5 percent.
Ms. Tully was announced as CEO of Jetstar last September. She has been a Group Executive and Customer Service Director at the Qantas group since 2019.
