A Sydney lawyer has voiced her frustration with Jetstar, claiming the airline has repeatedly assigned seats to her young children several rows away from her, despite this practice contradicting the airline's stated policy. Bianca Marcellino, a mother of three, stated that on a recent return trip between Sydney and Townsville in late July, her children, aged three, seven, and nine, were seated seven rows away from her.
Marcellino described this as the fourth instance of such a separation in the past six months. She recalled a flight to Bali in February where her then-two-year-old child was placed 13 rows away on a six-and-a-half-hour journey. While she has managed to resolve the issue by contacting Jetstar before flights, Marcellino noted that the problem has become more frequent during the online check-in process.
She suggested that this recurring issue implies families are being subtly encouraged to pay for seat selection, even though Jetstar's policy indicates that children should be seated with a parent or guardian. Marcellino raised concerns about this being a significant safety issue, particularly for children who rely on her for support and assistance during flights and who might become distressed if separated.
Marcellino has reportedly contacted Jetstar multiple times via their online chat service. She stated that initial responses often suggested her fare did not include seat selection and recommended paying for it or resolving it at the airport check-in. However, she claims that upon referencing Jetstar's policy, agents have acknowledged the issue as a system error and manually adjusted the seats.
The Jetstar website states the airline endeavors to seat families together and ensures young children between two and 11 are seated with a parent or guardian, but it cannot guarantee they will all be together. The airline advises selecting seats at the time of booking as the best approach. According to reports, passengers are not required to pay for seat selection to ensure children are seated with a parent or guardian. Airport staff are expected to assist in re-seating separated families, prioritizing children with at least one parent.
Marcellino, however, argued that the airline's commitment to "do its best" is insufficient. She believes the system should automatically allocate adjacent seats for children traveling on the same booking. She also feels parents should not have to contact customer service or rely on airport staff to correct seating arrangements, especially when aiming to streamline the travel process with young children.