Hundreds of people who booked flights with online booking agent Bestjet have been left angry, confused and thousands of dollars out of pocket by its collapse. Many who paid their fares in full and received e-tickets are discovering their bookings are no longer valid.
SBS Thai radio broadcaster Parisuth Sodsai is among would-be-travellers left reeling by the collapse of Bestjet. In November Ms Sodsai and her partner, Benjamin Gayler, booked flights to Italy via the online ticket agent for a dream family getaway. On New Year's Eve their plans were thrown into disarray by a shock call from their airline, Emirates. The family hopes to recoup the four-thousand-dollar loss with travel insurance linked to their credit card.
Bestjet went into voluntary administration a week before Christmas. The administrators, Pilot Partners, say it Is too early to provide a strong view on the reasons for the collapse or the probability of a dividend return to creditors. A travel writer at the consumer organisation Choice, Jodi Bird, is advising customers left out-of-pocket to contact their banks - fast.
