JQ System Outage 6-8 Feb

[Justin L]

Just noticed this on JQ's website.

http://www.jetstar.com/au/en/jetstar-information.aspx

Important information regarding system outage this weekend!

On Friday 6 February 2009, Jetstar will undergo one of its biggest system changes in the airline's history as it replaces its current reservation system. The system replacement has been carefully planned over the past 12 months to prepare for a smooth transition. All Jetstar operations in Australia, New Zealand, Asia and USA will be impacted by the system replacement.

The system replacement will improve booking speeds via Jetstar.com, which will have an increased capacity to handle more customers and transactions at one time. This improved system will accommodate the growing requirements of Jetstar's ever expanding network of routes and destinations.

Replacing the system will require Jetstar's entire reservation systems, including the internet booking facilities and the Telephone Reservation Centre, to close from 5.00 pm AEDT on Friday 6 February 2009. The transition between systems will take place over the weekend with the Telephone Reservation Centre and internet booking facilities expected to be fully operational again by 4.00 am AEDT Monday 9th February 2009.
Important information for passengers travelling on Jetstar flights between 6.30pm 6 February – midnight 8 February 2009:

* All airport and flight services are planned to operate as per schedule.

* To minimise inconvenience, we are encouraging passengers travelling on domestic services on Friday 6th or Saturday 7th February to check-in online via web-check at Jetstar.com Web check will be closed from 7.00pm AEDT Thursday 5 February. A web-check demo is provided to guide passengers through the process step by step (from Jetstar.com, select web-check in under the "book here" box and then click on the web-check demo). To be able to web-check, passengers must have a printer connected to their computer. Passengers with baggage should proceed to the check-in counter. Passengers with carry on only can proceed directly to gate with printed boarding pass.

* Any passengers travelling on domestic services who are unable to web-check, are asked to allow extra time when checking in as the manual process may be slower than regular check-in. Airport check-in for domestic flights opens two hours prior to departure.

* Any passengers travelling on international services are asked to allow extra time when checking in. Check-in for international flights opens 3 hours prior to departure.

* Jetstar passengers will unable to check in via the Qantas Club from 6.30 pm AEDT on Friday 6 February 2009 and throughout the weekend of the system cutover.

* Passengers travelling during this time have been sent information explaining the different operational requirements for this transitional period.

* The Jetstar Telephone Reservation Centre will be closed from 5.00pm AEDT on Friday 6 February 2009 till 4.00am AEDT Monday 9 February 2009.

* If passengers need to change any booking that is scheduled to depart during this outage, they are asked to do this at Jetstar.com or via the call centre prior to 5.00pm AEDT on Friday 6 February 2009. If you need to make an urgent change to your booking during the outage, please go to the Jetstar Customer Service counter at the airport. Usual time limits for making changes apply, see http://www.jetstar.com/au/en/fare-types.aspx for details.

Important information for customers wanting to make a Jetstar booking for travel between 6 - 8 February 2009:

* Jetstar's website will not be available for bookings from 5.00 pm AEDT 6 February 2009.
* Jetstar's Telephone Reservation Centre will not be available for bookings from 5.00 pm AEDT on Friday 6 February 2009.
* Both the website and the Telephone Reservation Centre are planned to be fully operational by 4.00am AEDT on Monday 9 February 2009.
* For any urgent travel we advise customers to proceed to their closest airport and enquire at the Jetstar Customer Service Counter. Reservations made during this period will be made payable only by cash or EFTPOS.

Important information for customers wanting to make or change a Jetstar reservation for travel outside of these dates

* If you need to make a booking for travel after 8 February 2009, or change an existing booking that is scheduled to depart after 8 February 2009, please visit Jetstar.com or call 131 538 before 5.00 pm AEDT on Friday, or after 4am AEDT on Monday 9 February 2009.

Any passengers requiring further information please contact our call centre on 131 538 before 5.00pm AEDT on Friday 6 February 2009.

Jetstar would like to thank all passengers for their patience and understanding while we work on this important system change and apologise for any inconvenience caused. We look forward to sharing the benefits of our new system with all Jetstar customers in the near future.

[James K]

Oh thats just great. In other words it will be a bigger shambles than normal that big brother will have to fix!

[Jason Carruthers]

Thank god I got out of my JQ sector this weekend. Even though I wouldn't have gone anywhere because on the error in the booking.






J

[James K]

Qantas has nothing to do with Jetstar I.T. and business systems...

Didnt say it did. But who picks up the pieces when the flts are dlyd and cancelled?

[Scott L.]

I do not work in the aviation industry at all but I do work in IT and it's bizarre that the core system of the airline is going offline for an entire weekend. There is an obvious financial impact there and through their analysis, I would carefully assume that the loss of revenue did not outweigh an IT solution that would have offered them some redundancy. I've seen it all now.

[Philip Argy]

Methinks not. Surely they could have hired a data centre to run up the new system and then had a switchover.

Doing it this way, how and when will the staff be trained in the new system?

If anyone has insights into the thinking behind these logistics I'd love to hear it.

[chrisb]

If anyone has insights into the thinking behind these logistics I'd love to hear it.

I'm assuming it relates to the logistics of moving across a constantly changing database or it may also require the replacement of airport based equipment. (like checkin computers or similar)

It's got to be saving them a lot doing it this way rather than doing it as an instant switchover - If i suggested shutting the Network down for 2 days I'd be laughed out of the office. :)

I'm glad i'm not involved in this one - Any sort of large scale swap over like that is a disaster waiting to happen. :)

[Owen H]

Shutting down for a while weekend does seem slightly odd in this day and age!

[Brad Myer]

Didnt say it did. But who picks up the pieces when the flts are dlyd and cancelled?

You would be suprised how many QLink pax end up on JQ flights when **** hits the fan.

And when you look over the OTP and XXLD flight stats for 2008 JQ usually fairs better than QF.

[James K]

You would be suprised how many QLink pax end up on JQ flights when **** hits the fan.

And when you look over the OTP and XXLD flight stats for 2008 JQ usually fairs better than QF.

Bet you'd be even more surprised to see the number of JQ pax that end up on QF mainline on an almost daily basis.

[Adrian B]

The ATO did this recently as well, mainly b/c the owner of their data centre wanted to trade racs and cables for kitchens bedrooms and bathrooms

[Owen H]

Or the number of QF flights that are cancelled so the aircraft can be redirected to do a jetstar service so it doesn't get cancelled.

Shhh, we're not supposed to know about that :rolleyes:

[Michael Cleary]

Must be the weekend for Maintenance/Upgrades of IT systems - seems Singapore Airlines will be out for 5 hours at the weekend too.

"....The singaporeair.com website will not be available from 07 February 2009, Saturday, 2200hrs to 08 February, Sunday, 0300hrs, Singapore Time (07 February 2009, Saturday, 1400hrs - 1900hrs, GMT) due to planned maintenance on the internet server."

[Chris Thurtell]

The ATO did this recently as well, mainly b/c the owner of their data centre wanted to trade racs and cables for kitchens bedrooms and bathrooms

Funny, thats an ATO owned building last time I checked.

That aside, it was to test the power system and DR for the centre.

[Greg F]

JQ Website is claiming

'We are back online!'

[Rob Fluke]

Yes we meet a couple of Lovley Jetstar customer service girls on Friday night at the AV8 Bar during the spotting weekend who were up from Melbourne for this.

"Floody's lawn mowing service" was in full swing that night with a great deal going "I'll cut your grass plus the guy next to you" :p:D

Mind you I killed it for everyone, but the man just look tired from running on the treadmill :p

LOL

Flukey

[Gareth U]

Andrew -

Try working alongside 'such philosophers'. Much of the stuff that comes out of their mouths is non-sensical - certainly not much fact or truth. Sad thing is there is so many of them.

[Annette Logan]

We flew Jetstar down to the spotting weekend and had no problems what so ever.

We were worried when we first heard they were doing it this weekend but all went well for us and we had 6.30pm flights out of Cooly Friday night and 3.30pm out of Sydney today and all was pretty good to us.

cya

[Grant Smith]

Yes we meet a couple of Lovley Jetstar customer service girls on Friday night at the AV8 Bar during the spotting weekend who were up from Melbourne for this.

"Floody's lawn mowing service" was in full swing that night with a great deal going "I'll cut your grass plus the guy next to you" :p:D

Mind you I killed it for everyone, but the man just look tired from running on the treadmill :p

LOL

Flukey

Yes.. But you'll still need a tray ;)

[Rob Fluke]

Yes.. But you'll still need a tray ;)

Yes because that tray is wet :eek:

[James K]

So much for the 'shambles' you predicted James...

Cutover went without a hitch.

Such philosophers.

Was the CNS cancellation related?

[Mark Howarth]

Andrew... so the complete manual boarding process did not cause any delays?

Cheers
Mark

[James K]

Just wondering if the large numbers of pax moved to QF flts over the weekend were as a result of the system switch off at JQ to enable the switch over to the new system.

[Gareth U]

James -

Can you please be more specific? What do you mean by moved? Due to JQ cancellations?

[James K]

Gareth not sure how much more specific I can be. Moved is moved. I was just wondering why, thats all.

[David Knudsen]

May or may not be related, but when I was standing the bag drop line at the QF Terminal in Syd on Sunday morning (about 0930), there was a QF Staff member walking around saying "Any jetstar passengers who have been sent here please go directly to counter 13", and there did seem to be a fair few.

[James K]

James, more detail on these mass moves to QF i.e. what flights?

No cancellations were attributed to the system change.

I'd suggest you have a look at the weather up north over the weekend and then look at some of the minimas at these ports. This might help paint a picture.

The CNS wx didn't cause any QF flights to be cancelled.

[James K]

OK thanks Andrew. I guess the acft must have been u/s if it wasnt the cutover or the wx in that case.

[Grant Smith]

Yes because that tray is wet :eek:

And this one is wet.. and this one.. Did you dry these in a rainforest? :cool:

[Daniel F]

Jetstar will have "single digit" airfares in today's Friday Frenzy sale... this should test whether the upgrade actually improved the website...

[Michael Mak]

Jetstar will have "single digit" airfares in today's Friday Frenzy sale... this should test whether the upgrade actually improved the website...
Only the routes below are on sales for $9: (http://www.jetstar.com/au/en/cheap-flights/sales.aspx?utm_source=jq_home&utm_medium=top_banner&utm_campaign=friday_fare_frenzy_20090213)
Sydney-Gold Coast
Melbourne-Adelaide, Hobart, Launceston
Brisbane-Rockhampton, Newcastle

[Daniel F]

Website bookings don't seem to be working... so I guess the upgrade didn't really do anything to the website.

[Michael Mak]

It seems the booking engine is now down. When I press the 'go' button, I got 'service unavailable'.

[Greg F]

same here, i got service unavailable but then it WORKED!

i have selected my flights but an now waiting and waiting and waiting!
OH as i was typing, PAGE LOAD ERROR!

Grrrrrr

[Greg McDonald]

It seems the booking engine is now down. When I press the 'go' button, I got 'service unavailable'.

Nothing really ever changes with Jetstar sales!!:mad:

[Greg F]

i got $9 MEL-HBA Flights
I just Rang Sales.
They were really helpful :)

Had to wait about 10 mins and she said they had just over 100 callers in the queue.. so not bad! they must have a few staff, (i went to Manila, my guess)

[Michael Mak]

Nothing really ever changes with Jetstar sales!!:mad:
Ditto - JQ is having another sales tonight - SYD-OOL, AVV is going for $13 one-way for travelling on 3-25 November, Tuesdays/Wednesdays only. The sales started at 1600, I didn't get the email until 1745.