UPDATE 12.16pm:
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Passengers travelling on a Jetstar flight from Launceston to Melbourne on Monday morning will spend most of the day at Launceston Airport.
Flight JQ 732 was due to depart Launceston at 8.40am on Monday but the flight was delayed by nearly five hours.
Passenger Jacinta Gleeson said once everyone had boarded the flight in Launceston, they were told something was broken and the captain would inspect the issue.
Despite passengers initially being told it was a “10-minute fix”, the captain realised a bolt on the luggage door had stripped away, Ms Gleeson said.
“It could’ve happened on any airline, it isn’t Jetstar’s fault,” Ms Gleeson said.
Flight JQ 732 passengers received an $8 voucher to be used for food and non-alcoholic beverages at the aiport.
Food outlets at the airport have a 15 per cent surcharge on public holidays.
“The airport is expensive anyway, it is $5 for a bottle of water,” Ms Gleeson said.
About 12.30pm on Monday, Ms Gleeson said passengers were told the part had arrived.
EARLIER:
Passengers travelling on a Jetstar flight from Launceston to Melbourne on Monday morning will spend most of the day at Launceston Airport.
Flight JQ 732 was due to depart Launceston at 8.40am on Monday but the flight was delayed by nearly five hours.
According to the departures section on Launceston Airport’s website, passengers on JQ 732 were now expected to depart at 1.30pm.
A Jetstar spokesman said the delay was due to an engineering issue with a door on the plane.
“Parts are being flown in from Melbourne and the flight (JQ 732) has been rescheduled to a 1.30pm departure,” the spokesman said.
“We apologise to our customers for the inconvenience however we always put safety ahead of schedule.
IN OTHER NEWS
Passenger Egmond Molenaar shared information about the delay on Twitter.
Molenaar tweeted about being “stuck” at Launceston Airport because of the delay.
Jetstar has not yet replied to The Examiner’s request for comment, but Cheeni from Jetstar replied to Molenaar on Twitter.
“We try to ensure all flights get away on time, however it's not always possible to do so due to operational requirements and our strict safety standards,” Jetstar’s reply on Twitter said.
