While Bonza’s future hangs in the balance, customers hoping to get their money back have been given some bad news, with the company’s administrator, Hall Chadwick, confirming that the airline is not able to issue refunds at this time.
“Unfortunately, the administrators and/or the company are not in a position to process or issue refunds at this time,” Hall Chadwick said in a statement late on Wednesday.
This comes after the airline originally told passengers they would be given a refund.
“We will be issuing you a refund for this flight and, if you no longer wish to travel on them, any other flights on the same booking reference as this cancelled flight,” passengers were told via SMS Tuesday.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Hall Chadwick said that it understood flyers’ frustrations.
“The administrators have had meetings overnight and this morning with key industry participants located within Australia and overseas. These meetings are ongoing and will continue tonight and tomorrow,” a Wednesday statement said.
Hall Chadwick confirmed all Bonza flights were cancelled until at least Friday, while flights after this remain in limbo.
Around 33,000 passengers on 183 flights were due to fly with the carrier over the next seven days, SMH reported.
“Unlikely” survival
Worryingly for customers, Federal Transport Minister Catherine King said the outlook for the airline was not good.
According to The Guardian, Ms King said administrators were “trying to get the airline back up and running”.
“I think they’ve got to look at the books a fair bit. It’s unlikely that will happen,” she added.
Elsewhere, AFR reports that Hall Chadwick is still hopeful of finding a new financial backer for the carrier.
Meanwhile, in a statement yesterday, the administrators said they had established a hotline for passengers to assist with queries. Customers can call 03 8678 1600 for help.
Earlier in the week, Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia reached out to those impacted by Bonza’s grounding, offering free flights.
