Aussies spend 24hrs in limbo as Auckland floods cause airport chaos

A 15-year-old flying solo was forced to spend eight hours on the tarmac before being released into the terminal with no staff to help.

collage of woman trapped at airport

A teenager flying from New Zealand to Australia alone was confused and lost after being kicked off a Qantas flight at 2am along with other passengers who spent seven hours on the tarmac.

That’s according to Ava Sycamore’s concerned mother, Renee, who shared her daughter’s stressful experience being stranded overnight due to floods overwhelming Auckland Airport.

Ms Sycamore said she spent all of Friday night worried about her 14-year-old daughter, who became embroiled in the mess thanks to a “sliding doors moment”.

As an elite junior player with the International Tennis Federation (ITF), Ava had decided to fly back to Sydney a day earlier than other players, meaning she would fly alone — a rare occurrence.

Ava was booked to fly Qantas flight QF148, which was cancelled after passengers had already boarded the flight at about 6.15pm on Friday.

Susie Estephan was stranded at Auckland Airport with two teens. Picture: Supplied/Twitter

A state of emergency was issued for the New Zealand city as heavy rain caused floodwaters which inundated homes and businesses.

Auckland Airport itself was flooded, causing chaos for passengers.

Fortunately for Ava, she found a fellow ITF junior player and his mum, Susie Estephan, on the same flight.

But they had many headaches ahead.

Ms Estephan (r) took solo teen traveller Ava (l) under her wing. Picture: Supplied

Due to the weather, the passengers were stuck inside the plane at a standstill for seven hours. Ms Estephan said they were informed at 2am the crew had run out of food and water and they had to get off the plane as it wasn’t leaving.

Despite reports that passengers were allowed to exit the plane to stretch their legs in the aerobridge, Ms Estephan said that was not their experience.

She said when they were released into the terminal, there were no staff to tell the passengers where to go, when they’d fly again or whether they could get their baggage.

The trio say they were kept in the dark about what was happening. Picture: Supplied

After a while, Ms Estephan and the two children went to the Qantas lounge to try to sleep until the next morning. Ms Estephan and her son were luckily allowed to accompany Ava, who had flown business class.

“People were sleeping on the floor or wherever they could, but I didn’t sleep at all. I was riddled with anxiety about what we were going to do,” Ms Estephan said.

But at 11am, they were told again to leave the terminal.

“They (Qantas staff) said because our flight was cancelled, they couldn’t accommodate us, but it was in the middle of a state emergency and we had nowhere to go, no bags and no-one telling us what was happening.”

The meal Ms Estephan was given while stuck on the tarmac for seven hours. Picture: Supplied

It was only due to gaining confidential information that they were able to plan their next move, Ms Estephan said.

An airport worker told her that there would be no flights until the following (Sunday) morning due to the weather and they should find a hotel before they book out.

But by this point, none of the nearby hotels had availability.

“It was 3pm when we finally got a text from Qantas saying we wouldn’t be flying that day,” Ms Estephan said.

Auckland Airport was flooded, causing chaos. Picture: Twitter

“We were checking into a hotel right as we got it. Luckily we got that inside information earlier.”

But the frustrations didn’t stop there.

As they got into bed to rest at 6:30pm, Qantas texted to say they were releasing their baggage and should return to the airport.

After inquiring through her inside contact, she was told the bags could be kept at the baggage tracing unit.

Flights and traffic were grounded due to the weather. Picture: Twitter

Ms Estephan said she would’ve appreciated clearer directions and transparency from official channels.

“At no point was there anyone to tell us when the flights were likely to resume and whether we should stay at the airport,” she said.

“I’ve had no sleep in 24hrs.”

Ava’s mum, Ms Sycamore, said she understood natural disasters happen unexpectedly and disruptions were inevitable.

“I understand why they couldn’t fly and were putting safety first, and that in many ways they couldn’t help the situation,” she said.

“We just would’ve liked more communication … not just for Ava as a minor but there were people with babies, elderly people and no-one knew what to do.”

According to the update on the Qantas app as of 5pm, their flight from Sydney to Auckland was scheduled for 6am Sunday.

The severe weather affected all airlines, and is estimated to have impacted 3,500 passengers.

Qantas has been contacted for comment.