Family complains to Jetstar after elderly man injured during layover

A New Zealand family is complaining to Jetstar after their elderly father was injured during an unexpected overnight layover.

The 77-year-old seriously injured his face and hands after faceplanting on the concrete when he was forced to wait outside while the airport was closed.

Jetstar said it offered to reimburse them for overnight accommodation but they chose to wait at the airport instead, but the man's daughter said they weren't made aware the airport would be closed.

Rachel Cargill and her father were due to fly direct from Australia's Gold Coast early Monday morning when the airline suddenly cancelled their flight.

"We got up 4:30 Monday morning, and there was an email from Jetstar advising us that our flight had been cancelled due to, apparently, staffing issues, and there was a link offering different flights for us," she said.

"Every single one of those flights had a stopover of at least 10 hours in either Sydney or Melbourne."

After considering their options, the Cargills settled for an evening flight to Sydney followed by an early morning flight to Auckland, with a 9-hour overnight layover in between.

"They did state in the email that they would reimburse us for any hotel costs, or for some of the hotel costs if we chose to get one. We chose not to, and we figured we would probably just crash in the airport in Sydney somewhere until our flight," Rachel Cargill said.

It wasn't until they had settled in for the evening that a security guard told them they would be kicked out between 11:30pm and 2:30am.

"He said, 'oh, and by the way, we're closing at 11:30 for three hours, so you will be kicked out.' We weren't the only ones, there were other people, and most of the seats [outside] were taken up outside with people lying on them sleeping. We managed to find one in the car park. It was raining, and it was cold," she said.

"We got a bit cold at about one o'clock, so we decided to go for a wander around the outside of the airport to see if we could find a better spot. And as we were walking around, Dad didn't see the gutter, and he just fell over face first... He just fell face first onto the tarmac."

"[He] damaged his face and ripped the fingertips off his hand, and there was blood everywhere. And I'll give credit to the security guard at the airport. He saw it happen and came over and helped us and got us some help."

After arriving in Auckland the next day, she said her father was treated for a broken hand.

The family was initially worried the wounds on his face would require plastic surgery, but he was later given stitches.

Cargill said Jetstar should have warned them that the airport would be closed during the night.

"It would have been nice if they told us that. We may have organised a room [if we knew]. I mean, it would have only been for a few hours and a total waste of money, but it would have been better than stuck outside in the rain and the cold."

In a statement to RNZ, Jetstar said it was "very concerned" to hear about the man's experience.

A spokesperson noted that customers were given 11 different options for alternative flights, though Cargill said their choices had dwindled quickly as other passengers snapped them up immediately.

"We emailed customers advising we would assist with reasonable overnight accommodation costs and if needed, customers could also speak to an airport team member for help finding accommodation," a spokesperson for Jetstar said.

"We're sorry to learn what happened during his time in Sydney. Our customer care team will be in contact to discuss his experience."

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