A man attempting to visit his sister has spent five days in travel limbo after Virgin cancelled three of his flights before forcing him to give up and fly back home.
Joe Moore planned to visit his sister at Cocos Island, in the Indian Ocean on Tuesday, but returned home on Sunday following three ‘disastrous’ attempts by Virgin Airlines.
‘I have completely lost confidence in Virgin Australia as a carrier. Throughout this saga I have received unclear communication and have been treated rudely by Virgin employees,’ Mr Moore told Daily Mail Australia.
Joe Moore planned to visit his sister at Cocos Island, in the Indian Ocean on Tuesday, but returned home on Sunday following three ‘disastrous’ attempts by Virgin Airlines
Mr Moore’s holiday from hell started when he flew out of Adelaide on Tuesday bound for Cocos Island.
He was flown to Perth, but the connecting flight was cancelled at the last minute and rescheduled for Thursday.
When he arrived at Perth Airport again on Thursday, his intended flight path was to Christmas Island, and on to Cocos Island.
He and his fellow passengers were told the plane was unable to land on Christmas Island, and instead flew to Jakarta to refuel. The plane then flew back to Perth.
The flight was again rescheduled for Saturday. Bad weather forced its cancellation.
Virgin offered to reschedule his flight a fourth time but due to the stress, he gave up and flew back home to Adelaide.
‘Usually when you’re on a plane for 12 hours you end up somewhere interesting like the Middle East, South America or Hawaii. Me? I went from Perth to Perth,’ he said.
Mr Moore pictured with his sister who was ‘shattered’ by the developments
Mr Moore’s holiday from hell started when he flew out of Adelaide on Tuesday bound for Cocos Island
What was supposed to be a birthday present to his sister, who lived on the Indian Ocean island, turned into a disappointing experience for both of them
What was supposed to be a birthday present to his sister, who lived on the island, turned into a disappointing experience for both of them.
Mr Moore said his experience was not unique.
He said fellow passengers were also mistreated by the airline, all forced to suffer through days of travel, and poor communication from the airline.
Mr Moore said he and other passengers also put up with deplorable service during the flights.
‘The plane’s toilet facilities were exhausted, passengers banned from using them due to being full up. Also there was no water left,’ he said.
Mr Moore was attempting to visit his sister on Cocos Island (pictured) but never made it
Mr Moore said his experience was not unique. He said fellow passengers were also mistreated by the airline, all forced to suffer through days of travel, and poor communication from the airline
Mr Moore said he found it hard to comprehend how an Australian airline could fail to provide effective services and mistreat its customers so poorly
Mr Moore said he found it hard to comprehend how an Australian airline could fail to provide effective services and mistreat its customers so poorly.
While he missed a week with his sister, he said other passengers were left in far worse positions.
He said one fellow passenger missed a funeral, and another was a nurse on the island who was needed by their patients.
Mr Moore’s sister said the flights seemed to be an ongoing issue in and out of the island.
She said her brother’s experience was the last straw.
‘The people on this island are the forgotten Australians,’ she said.
A Virgin spokesperson told Perth Now the airline experienced problems with bad weather, and sickness among some crew members.
Mr Moore’s sister said the flights seemed to be an ongoing issue in and out of the island (Cocos Island pictured)
A Virgin spokesperson told Perth Now the airline experienced problems with bad weather, and sickness among some crew members