Jetstar apologises after tasteless Vietnam joke on social media fails to land

Chiba, Japan - December 19, 2020:Jetstar Japan Airbus A320-200 (JA19JJ) passenger plane.
Edited by Travel Weekly


    Budget airline Jetstar has apologised after a tasteless and, frankly, not particularly funny joke about the Vietnamese currency was posted to its Facebook page.

    The airline wrote:

    “Sorry but Vietnamese money being called Dong is objectively funny”.

    It then doubled down replying to its post saying:

    “And a million dong is $65 and I basically have $65 which means I’m a millionaire”.

    Clearly, it must be a laugh-a-minute in the Jetstar offices if that’s what passes for comedy among its social media team.

    The post was quickly removed but was seen by many of the airline’s 782,000 Facebook followers.

    Comments under the post widely expressed shock and anger at the airline’s attempt at comedy.

    Posting on LinkedIn, however, Huy Nguyen went further saying that it was “a demeaning and belittling portrayal of our culture and economy.

    “The casual trivialization of our currency, coupled with a dismissive attitude towards its value, reflects a deep-seated cultural insensitivity that I find deeply troubling”.

    Jetstar has issued individual apologies to many of its Facebook followers, including the following:

    ‘We agree the post was inappropriate and as a result it has been removed. We’re really sorry for any offence caused,’ the Jetstar spokesperson wrote.

    ‘Please be assured that this incident was in no way related to Vietnamese nationality or race.’

    ‘You have my absolute assurance that Jetstar will not tolerate discrimination on ethnicity, race or any other unlawful grounds.’

    Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

    jetstar

    Latest News

    • Aviation

    Top four airports report return to profit after post-Covid period comes to an end

    The aeronautical operations of Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney airports returned to profit in 2022-23, the first full financial year since the end of COVID-19 travel restrictions, the ACCC’s latest Airport Monitoring Report shows. In contrast, all four monitored airports reported losses on their aeronautical operations in 2021-22. A return to profit was helped by […]

    • Luxury

    COMO launches new family-sized farmhouse in the heart of Tuscany

    COMO Hotels and Resorts has launched its new farmhouse apartments in the heart of Tuscany, just in time for Australians to escape our wet winter. And it’s also an ideal time for Aussies of Italian ancestry to explore their home country as 2024 has been declared the year of Roots and Heritage Tourism by the […]

    • Aviation

    Green light, green fuel for Townsville Airport as passenger numbers set to double to 3.7m

    The Townsville Airport Master Plan, including the expansion of the airport terminal and development of the surrounding precinct, has been given the green light by the Federal Government. The 2023 plan outlined Townsville Airport’s strategic vision and growth objectives over the next two decades, with a detailed focus on the initial eight years. Townsville Airport […]

    • Destinations
    • News

    New Caledonia in lockdown and airport closed after violent riots rock Noumea

    New Caledonia officials have announced a 6pm-6am curfew, a liquor ban and have closed the country’s main airport after overnight riots in which vehicles were torched and roads blocked in the wake of proposed constitutional reforms. Australian Government website Smartraveller has issued an alert informing visitors to exercise a high degree of caution in metropolitan […]