Hundreds of Aussie travellers have been left stuck in Phuket as budget Australian airline, Air Australia, was forced into administration.
News.com.au reports the plight of newlyweds Michael and Tiffany Ilyine, who have been left stranded in Phuket, when their 7.30 flight was due to depart.
The couple were heading back to the Victorian city of Geelong following a 10-day honeymoon on the resort island of Koh Samui.
- Not all smiles, as hundreds of passengers have been left stranded by Air Australia being placed into the hands of administrators.
The Herald Sun reported that the couple, returning from their honeymoon, had already checked in their bags and had their boarding passes in hand, ready to board the aircraft when told of their flight cancellation.
Passengers on board the flight were informed that their flight had been delayed a number of times before ground staffed handed out a press release from the airline’s receivers.
According to Mr Ilyine, there was no information from the airline to speak to passengers.
“The information from the airline is that there would be no assistance,” Mr Ilyine said.
“There was no communication from them at all, there were no ground staff and air staff said that they refused to answer the phones and weren’t able to be contacted.
- Grey skies ahead for the Australian holiday carrier.
“There’s a plane-load of mainly Australians who have been dispersed from the airport with nothing really apart from a press release.”
The couple had managed to book accommodation within a few minutes from the airport, while trying to seek flights on other airlines to return to Australia.
Television reports claim that the Brisbane-based carrier, which also operated flights to Bali, Honolulu, as well as domestic routes in Australia, had interrupted the travel plans of up to 4,000 travellers.
“On February 17 2012, the Director of the Air Australia group of companies appointed John Park and Mark Korda of KordaMentha as voluntary administrators,” it said.
The announcement comes just a day following revelations by Australian national carrier Qantas that it had planned to axe up to 500 jobs due to tough economic conditions.
Air Australia, previously known as Strategic Airlines but relaunched in November 2011 as Air Australia with a view to cash in on under-serviced routes.
Contact Numbers:
Call 135 320 or International +61 7 3329 6240
Affected Flights:
The following Air Australia flights to/from Phuket will cease to operate:
VC 241 – Phuket to Melbourne
VC 240 – Melbourne to Phuket
After trying to locate a contact number in Thailand, it appears that Air Australia utilize minimal international staff for their operations. This is the case for many low-cost carriers that fly into a destination, only to drop off a load of passengers, clean the plane, re-stock the drinks cart, before returning to their destination of origin.
For legal reasons, Thai Travel News will not speculate on any potential refund issued by Air Australia, however we can offer guidance for travellers seeking a quick return to Australia.
Travellers seeking a cheap fare to Australia should consider the following options:
BUDGET AIRLINES
AirAsia to Kuala Lumpur, AirAsia X to Melbourne or Brisbane – Ph 02 515 9999
Tiger Airways to Australia, transit in Singapore – Ph: 001 800 601 5637 (toll-free within Thailand)
Jetstar Airways via Singapore – Ph 02 - 2267 5125
FULL-SERVICE AIRLINES
Malaysia Airlines – Ph +0 76 2137 49/2344 67/2166 75
Thai Airways International – Ph: 02 356-1111 Th
Singapore Airlines -Ph: 02353-6000
Travellers can check availability and find prices by clicking on this link.
