More families have been told to find alternative flights for the holidays after Australia's newest low-budget airline announced another series of cancellations.
Bonza Airlines announced on November 30 that most flights between Victoria's Gold Coast, Bundaberg, Cairns, the Whitsundays, Mildura and Geelong were being halted due to a delay in regulatory approval to fly.
Launceston's Su Couper was one of the last to receive a cancellation notice as she prepared to catch a flight to the Gold Coast from Launceston on Friday.
'G'day Susan, your Bonza flight has been canceled due to a delay in obtaining regulatory approval, delaying the start of this route. We are sorry for the impact this will have on your travel plans,” the message said.
The airline said the plane's unavailability caused the delay and has begun offering full refunds to customers whose East Coast flights were canceled.
More Bonza flights have been canceled in the run-up to Christmas as the embattled airline struggles to accommodate flyers after failing to get regulatory approval to fly two planes
All flights from Darwin to the Gold Coast were canceled on November 30, with a new wave of flights through Queensland and Victoria added to the list a week later
Mrs. Couper told the ABC that she already had her boarding pass and had checked in by the time she got the message.
'I also paid more to select my seat and check luggage, which were all their Christmas presents. Bonza sent out all the check-in emails and a few hours later it was canceled,” Ms. Couper said.
“And since I had no other choice, I had to go to the post office and pay for express mail to send the packages so I could be sure they would get to my children and grandchildren on time.”
In late November, Bonza shocked flyers by announcing it had canceled all flights to and from Darwin in December.
A week later, Bonza's CEO Tim Jordan confirmed that more flights would be added the Gold Coast, Bundaberg, Cairns, the Whitsundays, Mildura and Geelong in Victoria were withdrawn after the airline failed to gain approval to operate two wet lease aircraft from Canadian airline Flair.
Bonza CEO Tim Jordan said his staff was working around the clock to accommodate affected customers, but added that more flights would be canceled in the coming days.
Mr Jordan said the airline is working to ensure full refunds are processed if its staff cannot find alternative routes for affected passengers.
He also confirmed that more flights will be canceled in the coming days.
'While this is progressing, it is not yet complete and as a result we have unfortunately had to postpone flights to/from the Gold Coast to Avalon, Cairns, Whitsundays and Mildura as well as make some additional cancellations on other routes in the coming days. Mr Jordan told Ny Breaking Australia.
'We are currently working to determine when the four affected routes will start flying and we are very sorry for the impact on customers, especially at this busy time of year.
'We know how important travel is during the holiday period and we are doing everything we can to keep disruption to a minimum.'
Ms Couper said she was given a seat on a replacement flight for Sunday to the Gold Coast after ABC contacted Bonza on her behalf.
Bonza originally planned to use two planes from Canadian budget carrier Flair Airlines to accommodate the flow of holidaymakers during the busy New Year period, but failed to gain approval from regulator Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA).
One of the planes is already at Gold Coast Airport, while the other is still in Calgary, Canada.
A CASA spokesperson told ABC that ensuring the approval process is completed is a 'important part of Australia's aviation safety regulations'.
Meanwhile, rival airline Jetstar has started offering discounted one-way flights between Victoria and Queensland to disgruntled Bonza customers.
To claim the tickets, passengers must contact Jetstar's 'live chat' service and provide a copy of their original Bonza booking for a $117 one-way ticket to Melbourne's Avalon and $174 to Cairns until December 31.
Rival airline Jetstar seized the opportunity to grab the business of disgruntled Bonza flyers and has started offering discounted one-way flights from Victoria to Queensland