SYDNEY- Virgin Australia (VA) passengers faced significant travel disruptions during Easter weekend when their Sydney (SYD)-bound flight from Queenstown (ZQN) was cancelled, leaving approximately 100 travellers with no accommodation options.
The incident marks the second major customer service issue for the airline this month.
Photo: Virgin AustraliaVirgin Australia Passengers Stranded
The problems began when Virgin flight VA162, scheduled to depart Queenstown (ZQN) for Sydney (SYD) on Saturday evening, 19 April, experienced engineering issues. These technical difficulties required some passengers to be offloaded to meet weight restrictions for the aircraft to operate safely.
As the delays mounted, the Virgin flight crew reached their maximum allowable duty hours under Civil Aviation Safety Authority regulations. These safety rules limit how long crew members can work continuously, ultimately forcing the airline to cancel the flight entirely.
“The safety of our guests and crew is always our highest priority. We sincerely apologise to our guests for the disruption to their travel plans.”
Virgin Spokesperson
The Easter holiday period left stranded passengers with no hotel options in Queenstown (ZQN), a popular tourist destination. This accommodation shortage forced travellers to spend the night on the airport terminal floor.
“No accommodation provided or available in Queenstown, so 100 people slept on the carpet at the airport.”
One affected passenger reported via email, questioning whether such a situation was legal
Problems continued the following day when the replacement flight scheduled for 1:50 PM New Zealand time on Sunday didn’t depart until 5:20 PM, creating additional frustration for already inconvenienced travellers.
One passenger criticised the airline’s ability to handle such situations, stating-
“The airline has such a skeletal staff here in NZ, it is entirely incapable of dealing with these delays.”
Virgin Australia’s guest compensation policy states that in cases of cancelled flights, the airline will transfer passengers to the next available Virgin Australia (VA) flight “without charge.” When suitable arrangements cannot be made, customers may request either a travel credit or a refund for their impacted flight.
Photo: By Aero Icarus from Zürich, Switzerland – Virgin Australia Boeing 737-800; VH-YFF@BNE;01.08.2012/667bu, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26652714Second Major Issue for Virgin This Month
This incident follows another significant problem for the airline earlier in April. On April 10, Virgin Australia (VA) was forced to offer refunds to 61,000 customers who were overcharged due to an error discovered in the company’s pricing systems during testing of an upgraded booking system.
Virgin Australia (VA) currently operates as the primary competitor to Qantas (QF) and its subsidiary Jetstar (JQ) in the Australian domestic market.
The company, majority-owned by Bain Capital, reported its first profit in over a decade last year as it prepares for a potential stock market listing.
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