Hundreds of Qantas travellers left stranded at airports overnight
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Chaos as 40 flights to and from Sydney are canceled and a warning is issued for ANY Aussie planning to travel over the AFL Grand Final weekend
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High winds and torrential rain have left hundreds of travelers stranded at airports across the country as dozens of flights to and from Sydney are cancelled.
Up to 40 flights scheduled to land or depart from Sydney were canceled Thursday morning as the Bureau of Meteorology issued severe weather warnings for severe falls and thunderstorms along NSW’s east coast.
Passengers at Sydney Airport complained on social media about receiving cancellations warnings at 4.30am, and long queues were seen at the Sydney terminal.
Hundreds of passengers stranded at airports as rain ravages east coast (photo, airport lines)
“In anticipation of today’s inclement weather, domestic airlines announced last night that some services will be affected,” a Sydney Airport spokesman told AAP on Thursday.
Passengers flying in and out of Sydney should check the status of their flights with the airline, the spokesman said.
“Passengers traveling today are advised to arrive two hours before the departure of domestic flights and three hours before international flights,” he said.
The cancellations come in the lead up to Saturday’s AFL Grand Final, with Victorian travelers enjoying two consecutive holidays before the weekend.
Queensland is also on school holidays, while NSW, Northern Territory, ACT and Western Australia’s term ends on Friday. Tasmania and Victoria are going on holiday at the end of next week.
2.4 million people are expected to fly through Sydney during the holiday peak, a Sydney Airport spokesman said.
Meanwhile, operations in the Sunshine State are running “relatively smoothly” at the Gold Coast airport, a spokesman said.
The spokesperson said AAP operations are assisted by an ambassador program that helps people board and check-in at the terminal.