- Charlie Bicheno was told his seat on a flight to Sydney was ‘double-booked’
- The 85-year-old had been visiting his son, Dale, in Darwin and was returning
- Dale said he didn’t like the way Jetstar treated his ‘really frail’ father
- Charlie took another flight the following day, but lost money on a connecting bus
- Jetstar spokesman said they have contacted the family and apologised
An 85-year-old man who travelled to Darwin to visit his son claims Jetstar booted him from his return flight to Sydney because his seat was double booked.
Dale Bicheno said his holiday with his father, Charlie, soured when the pair arrived at Darwin airport just after midnight to check in for his 1.30am Tuesday flight.
Mr Bicheno told 9News he was waiting for his father when he noticed the 85-year-old becoming upset while speaking to the woman at the check-in counter.
Charlie Bicheno (pictured), an 85 -year-old man who travelled to Darwin to visit his son, claims Jetstar booted him from his return flight to Sydney because his seat was double booked
He said when he walked over to find out what was going the woman told him Charlie wouldn’t be able to board because his seat had been ‘double-booked.’
‘The woman said he was the second person to arrive to pick up the seat and it was just bad luck. She just kept on saying ‘read the terms and conditions, you’ve clicked on the terms and conditions’.’
Mr Bicheno said the woman offered Charlie a couple of alternatives, including a refund for his flight or a seat on a later flight to Sydney.
The options weren’t acceptable because Charlie was booked on an eight-hour-long connecting bus from Sydney to the NSW south coast, Mr Bicheno said.
‘My dad was just about in bloody tears by then. He had to sit down where you load your cases on because he couldn’t stand any longer,’ he said.
‘He is really frail and he can’t walk far and they just treated him like a piece of dirt.’
The woman behind the check-in counter told the pair Charlie couldn’t travel because someone else had been booked into his seat (stock image)
Mr Bicheno told 9News Charlie was able to get on another flight the following day, but lost money on his non-refundable bus ticket.
A Jetstar spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia the airline has ‘called and sincerely apologised to Mr Bicheno and his family for this experience.’
‘We have provided the customer a $200 voucher and will cover the cost of the hotel and bus which he missed,’ the spokesperson said.
Jetstar said it will be looking into the incident further.