Bali Flight February 2022

I'm a Baliphile and had been watching JQ through 2020 for their first flights to Bali. When it opened in October, I booked immediately, I think in about June 2021. It became obvious that the flight wouldn't operate, and it was cancelled, with plenty of notice, by Jetstar, and the first flight was then published as 02FEB22, so I booked that, returning on 14FEB. Those flights were 'subject to government and regulatory approval'. I paid for 'Fare Credit' as insurance in the uncertain times of covid.

I regularly checked the bookings, and a couple of days ago, 06JAN, I noted that all flights 02FEB to 14FEB were 'unavailable', not 'booked out', as would appear if they were fully booked.

I made contact with Jetstar on the chat line, and spent an hour going round in circles, with me saying the flight was cancelled, and them saying that it was still operating, and that I was 'confirmed'. Nothing was achieved, despite spending over an hour on the chat line.

Again this morning, I must have felt like having my Sunday trashed by JQ, so I called again, and asked when I could expect to be officially notified, that the flight was cancelled, because 52 minutes of the same run around later, I had still not been told that the flight was cancelled. I was responding quickly on the chat line, but suddenly I received a message that since she hadn't heard from me for some time, less than a minute, she was closing the chat, so I wasted almost another hour.

The agent had said that I could expect a text a 'day or two' before my flight telling me if the flight will be operating, when I already know it will not be operating. I suppose that was a small concession, and some sort of hint that the flight would not be operating. I then cancelled my hotels, because on what she said, by the time JQ notify me, it will be too late to cancel without penalties.

The only thing I can deduce from this is that if I make changes, I use up my 'Fare Credit', about $160 ($32economy class, $160 J class), whereas if they cancel it, I retain that and can use it again. It seems that the unstated policy may be that if the pax make changes, there are penalties, whereas if JQ cancels, no penalties, even under these trying circumstances.

If I wait on their advice, I am going to have to wait until a day or two before departure to reschedule my trip.

I've traveled JQ for ten years or more, and apart from minor inconveniences, they have been very good, particularly up front, but after this experience, it seems they have little idea of customer service.

Edit six days later............I received an email from JQ advising that my flight TO Bali was cancelled, but my return flight was still operating. The first flight TO Bali was now on date I had booked to return, 14FEB, and was arriving AFTER my scheduled departure flight from Bali. It took some time to explain to the agent that I could never make my return flight, even if I'd decided to fly there and back just for the hell of it, and she eventually agreed that they would refund the total including my Fare Credit.