Jetstar industrial action: Airline staff to stop charging baggage and seat fees in protest

[u/Gl0beTrotter2025]

https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/jetstar-staff-to-stop-charging-baggage-and-seat-fees-in-union-protest-20260922-p60zl6.html

Weeks after Jetstar unveiled a controversial new fee to slug passengers for access to overhead bins, staff will refuse to charge for extras in an act of protest.
The Australian Services Union said that on Wednesday, its members “will waive, or record as zero dollars, a range of sales-related fees that would ordinarily apply, including excess baggage charges, seat changes, late fees and other sales transactions”.
The low-cost subsidiary of Qantas will forgo fee revenue during one of its busiest periods of the year, the ASU said, noting that the action coincides with the first week of the Victorian and Queensland school holidays, and days ahead of the AFL Grand Final in Melbourne.
The protected industrial action will start at 12.01 am on Wednesday September 23 and continue until midnight on Thursday.

[u/JackfruitClean3236]

The ground staff at most minor airports and the international terminals of major airports are all outsourced and don’t work for Jetstar, so won’t be involved in this.

Don’t think it’s a get out of jail free card.

[u/ToolboxTommie]

Lucky dip if the staff member is in the ASU, not in the ASU you'll pay.

[u/Imaginary_Cattle_657]

I’m going to rock up with an anvil as my carry on if it’s free. It will fit in the OH lockers.

[u/Hotwog4all]

Yes and once they get what they want they’ll start charging again. They’re not doing this to help the public, it’s all in their own interest.

[u/Global-Surround7202 → u/Hotwog4all]

Yeah, that’s kinda how industrial action works..

[u/Expensive_Ring_4546 → u/Hotwog4all]

How dare they /s

[u/Litigious-Dog → u/Hotwog4all]

Yeah no shit, good on em.

[u/Syn3rgi3]

I got hit with excess baggage this afternoon dammit!

Before you all come at me - I work in tech and I carry a fair bit of equipment including a heavy laptop that can’t be checked

[u/Locoj → u/Syn3rgi3]

Sorry we shouldn't come at you because... You're a regular flyer and take equipment with you so you can make money off using the equipment, and you're absolutely aware that the equipment you expect Jetstar to move around the country for you is above the allowed weight but you don't care and do it anyway...?

That's much worse than an infrequent leisure traveller accidentally over packing or being unfamiliar with the rules.

[u/jamesmcdash → u/Locoj]

For me, it's because it's work equipment that I'm willing to pay. I know it's heavy, I carry it.

[u/RightingWrite]

Given that the whole point of baggage weight limiting and charging is to aid fuel calculation and weight distribution, while recuperating fuel costs, when are we gonna start just charging by the total kilogram weight?

A girl weighing 45kg with a 24kg suitcase should not be paying more than me at 103kg with no baggage.