The father of an Australian family stranded at an airport in Bali for two days says his children just want to go home.
Xavier Edwards, his partner and two young daughters have been stuck at the airport since Thursday, after Mr Edwards claims Jetstar wouldn’t let his two-year-old daughter on the flight because she had an infant ticket.
The family, from Melbourne, were on holidays on the island and extended their trip to celebrate Zyanna’s second birthday on Wednesday.
But when they tried to check-in to fly back to Adelaide, ground staff at Bali airport refused to let the little girl board as she was too old to fly on an infant ticket.
Xavier Edwards, his partner and two daughters have been stranded in Bali since Thursday, after Mr Edwards claims Jetstar denied his two-year-old daughter on the flight because she had an infant ticket
The family, from Melbourne, were on holidays on the resort island and extended their trip to celebrate Zyanna’s (pictured) second birthday on Wednesday
Ground staff at Bali airport refused to let the little girl board as she was older than required to be able to fly on a infant ticket
Mr Edwards, 49, who bought the ticket when his daughter was still a one-year-old, said the fare was ‘was bought in good faith and was correct in all aspects’.
‘They would not seat her and would not go out the “good faith” purchased ticket when she was still one year old,’ he wrote online.
‘They demanded we buy another child ticket then tried to extort $900 AUD for the new ticket.’
Mr Edwards told Daily Mail Australia on Saturday that his young children were struggling after spending two nights sleeping on the floor in the airport.
‘They just want to go home,’ Mr Edwards said.
‘We are trying to make the most of being in Bali…but we are all tired and stressed.’
‘They would not seat her and would not go out the “good faith” purchased ticket when she was still one year old,’ Mr Edwards said
Mr Edwards told Daily Mail Australia on Saturday that his young children were struggling after spending two nights sleeping on the floor in the airport
He said they made a desperate dash to find infant lactose-free baby formula for one of the children.
‘It was very expensive here in Bali, but what do we do, she needs to have it,’ he said.
Mr Edwards confirmed he and his partner knew their daughter would be over the age of two by the time of the departure.
‘To note when we booked the tickets we new (sic) the child would be over two at the time of departure. Their computer website would not allow us to buy child ticket cause she was not already two, instead had to purchase infant seat,’ he wrote.
Jetstar’s child policy states: ‘If your infant is less than two years old on your outbound flight, they won’t need an allocated seat on the return flight, even if they turn two during your trip.
However, the airline warns: ‘This won’t apply if your infant was booked on separate bookings for the outbound and return flight.’
Mr Edwards confirmed he and his partner knew their daughter would be over the age of two by the time of the departure
A spokesperson for Jetstar said: ‘Our booking records show that Mr Edwards had entered the wrong birth date for his two-year old, which made it look like his child was under two’
Mr Edwards slammed the airline as ‘predatory’ and a ‘horrible company’ who ‘need to be exposed’.
A spokesperson for Jetstar Australia told Daily Mail Australia that Mr Edwards had entered the wrong date of birth for his daughter in the original booking, and therefore was required to purchase a new ticket.
‘It’s an international requirement for airlines that children over the age of two need a ticket to travel,’ the spokesperson said.
‘Our booking records show that Mr Edwards had entered the wrong birth date for his two-year old, which made it look like his child was under two.
‘Our staff at Denpasar Airport checked the child’s passport and saw she was two and required a separate ticket.
‘As a gesture of goodwill we have offered to waive the costs to change their ticket for the flights they missed but they will need to purchase a ticket for their two year old like any other parent.’