Aussies caught in Far North Queensland floods are dealt cruel blow by airlines

Aussies who have had their travel plans disrupted by record flooding in Far North Queensland have now been subjected to another cruel blow by some airlines.

Debra and David McAteer were going to visit their elderly parents in Victoria for Christmas, and were due to fly from Cairns on Tuesday. 

Intense flooding inundated the roads leading out of their Mission Beach home meaning the couple were unable to make it to their flight.

Cairns Airport had also been submerged with photographs capturing airplanes on the runway completely stranded in rising waters.

Ms McAteer called the airline they were booked with to reschedule their flights, but was shocked by their response.

‘He said there will be a fee and I said, “Oh, okay, and how much is the fee?” And he said $435.19 and I nearly had a heart attack,’ she told Nine News.

‘We’re virtually paying our airfares all over again. It’s just not good enough and it should never happen.’

The region was battered by its worst flood in almost 50 years in the aftermath of ex-tropical Cyclone Jasper.

Some 600mm of rain fell within 40 hours while dozens were forced to seek higher ground on the roof of their homes and wait for authorities to rescue them. 

With Cairns Airport now open again, the extra fee to change flights is bad news for local business operators who rely on tourists. 

Pinnacle Tourism Marketing owner Michael Nelson said the region had already lost more than $60million in bookings.

‘There is no reason why people can’t come up here and have a holiday,’ he said.

‘And it would be an absolute travesty if the airlines were looking a little bit short-term to say right we can make some advantage out of this.’

With Christmas nearly here, businesses are pleading with people not to cancel their bookings. 

Mr Nelson said the far north region had a tendency to ‘bounce back quickly’ and hotels and restaurants were open and ready for guests. 

Not all airlines were charging extra fees to travellers who wanted to change dates or cancel their booking. 

Qantas flights resumed yesterday morning into and out of Cairns and the airline is offering customers flexibility who no longer wish to travel, including refunds, travel credits or date changes.

They also want impacted customers to keep an eye on Qantas and Jetstar apps or their websites for more information.

Bonza has also made it easier for affected customers to change their plans without a fee.

It is allowing travellers flying in and out of Cairns to reschedule their flight dates or customers can choose to fly out of Townsville instead for free.

This is for flight dates up to and including Christmas Day only.

Virgin Australia is also among the airlines not charging their customers.

Passengers who booked with the airline and were booked to travel between December 12 and 24 can move their flight to another date as long as it is within 14 days of their original date.

It is subject to availability and there is no cost to customers.  

They will also waive change fees for people who want to move their flight to a different destination for travel within 14 days of their original date.

However, customers need to be aware a fare difference may apply.

If a passenger’s flight was cancelled and a suitable option was not found, they can request a refund or travel credit to the value of the price they paid.