More than a thousand customers banking on a bargain with budget airline Bonza are now dealing with a major headache. All flights for December including over the Christmas period from Darwin to the Gold Coast have been cancelled with furious passenger’s travel plans now in tatters.
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00:00 Corey Reichstein and his wife have been saving all year to go on their first family holiday
00:07 in five years bound for the Gold Coast.
00:10 Yesterday morning we got the confirmation that Bonza had actually cancelled our flight
00:17 and rerouted us to the Sunshine Coast.
00:20 The new airport three hours away from their planned destination and with the rerouted
00:24 flight and related travel costs too dear for the family to afford, they called off the
00:30 trip.
00:30 My little boy's off school today because he's just devastated. My girl was in her room last
00:37 night in tears. It makes me feel bad as a parent having to disappoint them.
00:45 He's just one of 1600 customers put out. Mia Morris had travelled to Darwin from Katherine
00:51 to take advantage of the cheap flights. Her plans also nose diving.
00:56 There was a lot of loud conversations with my mum. We were both very stressed and she
01:02 was just trying to help me. I've never really been through this before.
01:05 She's had to find another airline at short notice, paying more than $300 extra to see
01:11 her family. Just months ago, Territorians were told these flights were a win-win for
01:17 locals.
01:18 This is super exciting to see Bonza entering the Northern Territory and we welcome them,
01:24 congratulate them.
01:25 The airline says flights have been cancelled due to delays getting the approval for an
01:30 aircraft leased from our partner, Flair, at our Gold Coast base. They went on to say there
01:36 will now be a new commencement date of flights from January 2, 2024.
01:42 The government says because of the way a taxpayer funded scheme works that covers aeronautical
01:47 costs after a voyage has taken place, no public money will go towards planes that don't fly.
01:54 That's no consolation for those grounded.
01:56 We won't fly with Bonza at all. They don't get a second chance in my book.
02:01 A sour start to the festive season.
02:03 [BLANK_AUDIO]