A CHEAP trip to Bali turned out to be more expensive than planned for many holidaymakers, including people from the Peel region.
Passengers on flights booked through Indojet were left stranded by the holiday charter company since last Friday and had to find their own way home from Indonesia.
Indojet previously used charter airline Ozjet for flights between Perth and Denpasar but ran into trouble when Ozjet went into administration and suspended all flights from Perth last month. Indojet had been placing passengers on flights with other airlines but has been unable to do so since last week.
The company has since suspended all trading for the next month.
The first many passengers heard about this was when they arrived at the airport for their flight home only to find they were not booked with any airline.
Watersun residents Patrick and Wrona Spalding had to buy their own air tickets to get home.
“We were meant to fly out from Denpasar last Friday and we got a text from Indojet on Thursday saying the plane couldn’t take us and we would be contacted about further arrangements,” Mr Spalding said.
“We never heard back from them and were trying to contact them all Friday with no response.
“By Saturday when we still hadn’t heard anything we went to Garuda and booked a flight back that day.”
With the airfare and an extra night’s accommodation, the couple are more than $1500 out of pocket.
“We were left high and dry,” Mr Spalding said. “The really frustrating thing is that there was no communication, it was very irresponsible of the company. Whatever refund we get will not cover the extra costs we had to pay.”
The Spaldings booked their holiday online, but even passengers booking through travel agents were left stranded. David Lawrence from Mandurah Travel and Tours blamed a lack of communication from Indojet for the confusion. “We have been calling them and they just won’t tell us anything,” Mr Lawrence said.
“Since Friday it has been havoc with people stranded in Bali.”
Travel agent Cassie Huntley said the agency only became aware of the problem when her mother was unable to return as scheduled from her holiday booked through Indojet.
“She was sent a text by Indojet three minutes after the plane she was meant to be on had left,” she said.
The travel agency has also lost money as it has not charged clients any service fees while finding alternative flights.
“We have managed to rebook clients on other airlines but they are out of pocket because they had to pay the extra for the new flights and we are out of pocket because we are not charging any fees for our service,” Mr Lawrence said.
“To anyone who is thinking of flying Indojet, I would say ‘just think again’.”
Disgruntled passengers hoping for a refund from their travel insurance also seem to be out of luck.
Because Indojet has only suspended trading and is not insolvent, most travel insurance policies do not cover the extra flights, meals and accommodation passengers have had to pay for.
In a website statement Indojet said passengers stranded in Bali who had to pay for their flights home were asked to write to Indojet for a refund of the return portion of their original airfare.
A spokesman for the Consumer Protection Division of the Department of Consumer Affairs said the department was aware of the issue and invited people with complaints about Indojet to contact them on 1300 304 054 or con sumer@commerce.wa.gov.au
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