Jetstar birdstrike on 26 Oct - fact or fiction?

[Pete B.]

My family and I were booked on JQ204 from Auckland to Sydney at 1550 on Monday 26 Oct. Whilst waiting to check-in, Jetstar uniformed personnel advised that the flight was cancelled due to a birdstrike seriously damaging a Jetstar aircraft. We were told to ensure minimal disruption across the network our flight was subsequently cancelled. We were told that as luck would have it Qantas had heaps of seats on their services at 1540 and 1830 so no one would be left behind.

This worked out rather well as we flew on the new 738 ZK-ZQC with all the bells and whistles and QFF points for a dirt-cheap JQ fare. It was fantastic but that's another story.

Since returning home I have tried valiantly to find any report of this supposed birdstrike and am left wondering if it was made up and that Jetstar cancelled for other more financial reasons...

Can anyone add some light to this for me..?