Days after budget airline Bonza cancelled its Darwin to Gold Coast route for a second time, those caught up in its first round of cancellations say they're still waiting for refunds more than a month after Christmas holidays were cancelled. The airline's turbulent take off in the Northern Territory is now drawing criticism of the government scheme set up to lure it to the NT.
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00:00 When Darwin father of five, Corey Reichstein, was told his Gold Coast holiday plans were
00:07 cancelled, Budget Airline Bonza told him to expect a refund in time for Christmas.
00:12 It was just going to make things a little bit easier and more presents for the kids
00:16 and that sort of stuff because they had missed out on their holiday. We were going to spoil
00:20 them a little bit more.
00:22 But a month on, he's still waiting. Corey was one of thousands of customers affected
00:26 when the airline cancelled all of its December flights to the Gold Coast. Travellers were
00:31 told they'd take off in January, but this week the flights were cancelled again for
00:35 at least another three months, the company citing delays in regulatory approvals.
00:41 Bonza CEO Tim Jordan told the ABC it was a difficult decision, telling customers not
00:46 to contact the airline as staff would contact them directly and offer a refund or a transfer.
00:52 And experts say it's unusual for an airline to cancel services on new routes twice.
00:58 They have been flying successfully to the Sunshine Coast and down in Alice Springs as
01:02 well Melbourne.
01:03 The NT opposition is now questioning whether backing Bonza was a mistake.
01:08 Bonza has been a disaster right from day one.
01:11 Bonza landed in part thanks to the territory's aviation attraction scheme, but the CLP wouldn't
01:17 be drawn on whether to scrap it.
01:19 The CLP doesn't support continued underpinning and funding of airline routes in and out of
01:25 the territory. What we need to be doing is growing our economy.
01:28 In a statement, Acting Tourism Minister Chancey Paik says the government has no role in Bonza's
01:33 commercial decisions and that the aviation attraction scheme pays airports, not airlines,
01:39 and only after the flights have arrived.
01:42 Bonza says the Darwin Gold Coast service should finally resume on March 19, but some aren't
01:48 convinced.
01:49 We would not be supporting Bonza at all.
01:50 [engines roaring]
01:51 [engines roaring]
01:52 [engines roaring]
01:53 [BLANK_AUDIO]