Auckland mums in minivans embark on 1000km mission to rescue girls netball team stranded after Jetstar cancels

April 23, 2018

A late-night mum driven minivan rescue was last night undertaken to retrieve an Auckland schoolgirl netball team left high and dry in Palmerston North after Jetstar cancelled their flight.

The 1000km road trek was undertaken to pick up 11 players plus coaches who had travelled to the Manawatu city to compete in the five-day New Zealand Indoor Netball Junior Nationals tournament.

After a gruelling weekend in which the Manukau Flamers placed second, the team got the bad news a few hours before their 7pm flight that it had been cancelled due to crew sickness, NZ Herald reported.

The scrapped flight left the team with few options as another flight from Palmerston North to Auckland wasn't available until Tuesday.

"It had been cancelled and we don't know what is going on," a parent of one of the players Amanda Assinki was told in a phone call.

But Ms Assinki, along with another mother, had available two seven-seater minivans, and decided to go and pick up their kids, along with the whole team contingent that night.

The 1000km round trip was estimated to cost $600 and the parents are now hoping that Jetstar will reimburse them for the huge inconvenience suffered.

"At the very least there should be a refund on the flights that are cancelled and covering the petrol cost would be good," Ms Assinki said.

A spokesman for Jetstar said the airline had apologised to affected customers last night.

Team coach Ihaia Burns said Jetstar's response to the cancellations was not adequate.

"I thought they would have put out an email or a text, there had been no communication other than to say the flights were cancelled," he said.

The minivan rescue mission was set to arrive in Palmerston North by 10pm last night with a big return leg ahead of them.

"We had a really good weekend, it's been a long couple of days, we are sore and tired," Burns said. 

SHARE ME

More Stories