Shocking pictures from a packed Jetstar flight show passengers crammed together and prevented from moving into dozens of empty seats because of a bizarre COVID rule
- Passengers on a Gold Coast to Adelaide flight were bunched up close together
- Some seats on the right-hand side of the Jetstar service however were empty
- Traveller on JQ455 was told she wasn't allowed to swap to an empty row of seats
- Daily Mail Australia has sought right of reply from Qantas budget carrier Jetstar
A passenger on a packed Gold Coast to Adelaide Jetstar flight was told she wasn't allowed to move to a row of empty seats.
Travellers were bunched up together on the left-hand side of Saturday night flight JQ455.
In economy, strangers were seated right next to each other on the Qantas budget subsidiary flight direct from Coolangatta airport to the South Australian capital.
The passenger was also told travellers had to remain in their allocated seat, even if this breached social distancing rules that would normally apply on buses and trains, so health authorities could more easily carry out contact tracing.
A passenger on a packed Gold Coast to Adelaide Jetstar flight was told she wasn't allowed to move to a row of empty seats
Travellers were bunched up together on the left-hand side of Saturday night flight JQ455
On the right-hand side of the plane, however, some rows of seats remained empty, as the one-hour and 40 minute flight took off at 7.10pm on August 15.
A 'crammed in' passenger on this Jetstar flight, who wished to remain anonymous, said had asked to be allowed to move to an empty row of seats only to be told that was against the rules.
'Just made me angry all the spare seats,' she told Daily Mail Australia.
'Air hostess said it's just been the way the seats are booked.
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'I guess she means if there's a COVID case, they need to identify people sitting close but I said to her, "Yes, but the airline allocated the seats".'
'The lady next to me agree it's a double standard,' she said.
A Jetstar spokesman told Daily Mail Australia the passenger should have been allowed to switch seats provided a cabin crew member took note of it.
'In this instance, it was a one-off misalignment of policy,' he said.
'It was just the one-time mistake. Customers are allowed to change seats during the flight.'
On the right-hand side of the plane, however, some rows of seats remained empty, as the one-hour and 40 minute flight took off at 7.10pm on August 15. A 'crammed in' passenger on this Jetstar flight, who wished to remain anonymous, said had asked to be allowed to move to an empty row of seats only to be told that was against the rules
Despite the crowding, not all passengers were wearing face masks - as it mandated on public transport in Victoria and strongly advised in New South Wales.
Qantas, Jetstar's parent company, advises travellers to wear face masks on flights but this is not compulsory.
The passenger was also told travellers had to remain in their allocated seat, even if this breached social distancing rules that would normally apply on buses and trains, so health authorities could more easily carry out contact tracin
Travellers flying or driving into South Australia from New South Wales are required to self quarantine for 14 days, even if they have only been to the sparely-populated mining town of Broken Hill, which is just 48km east of the SA border.
Those flying direct from Western Australia, Tasmania, the Northern Territory or Queensland do not need to self isolate when they arrive in SA - regardless of whether they have come from a big city or a small town.
This policy saw Sydney residents catch the last direct flights to Queensland before the Sunshine State on August 1 banned anyone who had been to greater Sydney so they could holiday on the Gold Coast for a fortnight and be spared hotel quarantining in Adelaide.
Surfers Paradise was crowded on Friday as Brisbane residents made the one-hour drive south for the Ekka public holiday, commemorating the annual agricultural show in the Queensland capital.
The passengers on the packed Gold Coast to Adelaide flight were most likely at popular tourist spots in southern Queensland before embarking on the Saturday night flight.
Travellers flying into South Australia (state police in Adelaide pictured) from New South Wales are required to self quarantine for 14 days. That means someone can fly from the crowded Gold Coast not have to isolate but are hit with strict rules if they drive into SA from the sparsely-populated mining town of Broken Hill in the far west of NSW
Those flying direct to Adelaide from Western Australia, Tasmania, the Northern Territory or Queensland do not need to self isolate when they arrive in SA - regardless of whether they have come from a big city or a small town. Pictured are passengers queuing up at Coolangatta airport on Saturday night
