Grandmother furious after 12-year-old grandson served alcohol on flight
A grandmother has revealed how horrified she was after her 12-year-old grandson was mistakenly served alcohol on a Jetstar flight from Brisbane in Queensland to Denpasar in Bali.
Taking her grandson – who lives with her – on the trip of a lifetime, after saving up to fly business class on his first overseas trip, Debra Pettigrove did not expect her young grandchild to be served alcohol during the Boxing Day flight last year.
Her grandson Dean was allegedly served what she described as a double gin and squash by cabin crew, in what was reportedly a mix-up after the plane hit turbulence during the business class flight.
Debra claims her grandson suffered an allergic reaction and was constantly sneezing after being served the beverage by accident, which was intended for another passenger on the flight.
“Dean said, ‘This tastes yuck,’” Debra recounted to The Courier Mail.
“I thought it must have been lo-cal squash or something … the furthest thing from my mind was that it had alcohol in it.”
Debra continued to recall: “I had a swig and, no joke, it burnt my throat – it tasted like metho (methylated spirits). I thought, ‘What the hell is this?’ I went straight for the head guy (cabin steward) and said, ‘What in God’s name is in this drink? Get me a water ASAP.”
The concerned grandmother went on to explain, “He [Dean] had a headache and was in a lot of discomfort. It was terrible.”
She added, “I was horrified, I couldn’t believe it. You pay for business class airfares and you’re supposed to get business class service, not this.”
Debra has since called in lawyers to help her seek compensation from the airline. While Jetstar did offer her a $400 flight voucher, she has hired national litigation firm Shine Lawyers to take on her case.
The firm’s travel law manager, Thomas Janson, said, “Our client paid a premium price to have the best care for her grandson on his first international flight, and this has tarnished his experience.
“Jetstar have a duty of care to every passenger, and that duty was undeniably breached in this instance,” Thomas added.
Jetstar claims the cabin crew manger on duty at the time of the incident did apologise to the family and served them complimentary drinks, as well as checking on the 12-year-old throughout the remainder of the flight.
A Jetstar spokesman confirmed, “We are in contact with a family after a mix-up of drinks occurred on a flight six months ago which resulted in a child having a few sips of an adult customer’s drink, according to our crew on-board reports.
“Nothing was mentioned to our crew on board the flight about the child feeling unwell,” the airline’s spokesman added.
Have you ever experienced a food or beverage mix-up on a flight before? Tell us in the comments below.