Bitter experience with Jatayu

On Sept. 27 my mother and three of my siblings left Medan for Jakarta by Jatayu airplane (VJ-238) with a stopover at Batam. From the outset the airline's service was very disappointing.

The flight, which was scheduled to leave Medan at 2:20 p.m., was delayed for four hours, and the plane took off at 6 p.m. and arrived in Batam at 7 p.m.

When we left Batam, about 20 minutes after the plane was airborne, the pilot was forced to return the plane to Batam and make an emergency landing, due to an engine problem. The airline promised to resume the flight the following day, on Sept. 28 at 10 a.m.

Unfortunately, another delay was announced: the plane would take off at 4 p.m. Their reason was that the spare parts had only arrived from Jakarta at 10 a.m. Worse still, the 4 p.m. flight was postponed again until 11 p.m. on Sept. 28. Meanwhile, all the passengers were taken to the terminal, and at midnight they were driven back to the Oasis Hotel in Batam, with a fresh promise that the following morning at 10 a.m., Sept. 29, the same plane would fly them to Surabaya.

Yet another mishap befell the passengers because the promised flight was delayed again until 4 p.m. on the same day. But the flight to Surabaya was confirmed for 6 p.m.

I would expect both responsibility and clarification from Jatayu on this chain of events, which has caused both material and immaterial losses on our part.

ELFIAN JAYA ERWIN, Jakarta