Bonza passengers told to email for refunds as they chase new flights

Chaos remains for Bonza customers with some still able to use the airline’s app even after planes were grounded, while others were left chasing new flights and refunds.

Bonza passengers are left grounded at Sunshine Coast Airport. Picture: Patrick Woods

Bonza passengers have described being left “shattered” after they were stranded at airports with “no alternative” but to spend hundreds of dollars on new flights.

The federal government has opened a hotline for passengers stranded across the country after the budget carrier cancelled all services, amid discussions about its ongoing viability.

Transport minister Catherine King said her department had been in contact with Bonza “and our expectation is that they keep passengers informed of their options and their consumer rights”. The hotline number is 1800 069 244.

Bonza passenger, Mark Watkins took his frustration to Facebook after he was forced to spend more than $500 with a different airline when his Gold Coast flight was cancelled.

“Just cancelled Gold Coast to Launceston. We were at the gate (and) there was no alternative offered, just bugger off.

Had to spend $526 on Virgin to get home,” Mr Watkins wrote.

Garry Philp told The Australian it made he worry about reliability across the Australian aviation industry, after hearing his flight from Mackay was cancelled on Tuesday morning.

“This situation has shattered my confidence in all airlines as I had trouble with all of them. Never had this trouble when I lived in Europe,” he said

Mr Philp said that he was still able to change his seats on the cancelled Bonza flight through the app at midday on Tuesday.

Grounded Bonza planes at Sunshine Coast airport on Tuesday morning. Picture Lachie Millard

Another passenger Monique Rolfe said she had two future flights booked with Bonza and the situation was now a nightmare.

“There’s no person to talk with and it's very disheartening. They should automatically refund customers instead of asking them to send an email where they take ages to reply or process anything,” Ms Rolfe said.

“It’s a nightmare, it should be illegal for them to hold customers money like that.”

She said the lack of communication when handling customer refunds was causing a lot of frustration.

“There’s no phone number to call them, the online chat response takes hours sometimes and then I was just getting really stressed and frustrated.”

One passenger was left in tears after the airline cancelled her flight with no warning on Tuesday morning.

Tracy Hilbert was left stranded at Tullamarine Airport in Melbourne after she was told her flight was cancelled around 5:45am.

“I actually had my father pass away last night so I needed to get up there,” Ms Hilbert told Channel Nine’s Today show.

Bonza customer Tracy Hilbert. Picture: Today

“My brother texted me saying that my father was not in a good way so last night my husband booked me a ticket with Bonza,” she said.

“It’s only a two hour flight, now it’s going to take me all day to get up there...But I’m glad that Jetstar and Virgin have actually come to my aid and I’m hoping that Bonza pays not just for my flight but they should be responsible for the out of pocket (costs) that I had to pay.

“They (Bonza) said to email them so that we can get a refund but you can’t talk to anybody, it’s all through emails.

“I should have been up there now and with my mum, my brother, and my other family.”