Jennifer Hinton, a single mother from Mackay, had been saving for months for a trip to Melbourne with her young daughter. It was to be their first holiday in five years. However, their plans were thrown into disarray when Bonza, the low-cost carrier they were flying with, abruptly cancelled all flights across the country.
Hinton was left $623 out of pocket and with no immediate prospect of a refund. She was not alone. Thousands of Bonza customers were left stranded, including Katy Hamilton, a pensioner from Townsville, who had been using the airline to visit her sister in palliative care. Hamilton lost $125 in flights and $300 in accommodation costs.
Sunshine Coast couple Sarah Wood and Rob had also booked a flight with Bonza, but they were told by Virgin and Qantas that they were not eligible for free flights as they were not considered "stranded". The couple had to spend an extra $2,000 on flights, accommodation and transport to ensure their trip could go ahead.
Bradd Morelli, managing partner from insolvency firm Jirsch Sutherland, said it was not unusual for customers to miss out on refunds in the early stages of a company collapse. He said it could be months before refunds were issued, if at all.
Despite the dramas, Wood said the low-cost carrier should stay in the air, and called on the Federal government to intervene. “They do everything in their power to help Qantas and Virgin … where's the help to Bonza?" she said.