Bonza outrage continues as travellers come forward with horror stories

Australian travellers have been forced to fork out thousands of dollars while flying with Bonza as the budget airline struggles to take off.

The new reports of ill-treatment by the airline comes just one day after it cancelled flights on a major route between the Gold Coast and Melbourne’s Avalon airport.

Avalon is not the only destination affected by a Bonza blunder on the Gold Coast, with routes to Mildura, Bundaberg, Gladstone, the Whitsundays, Cairns and Darwin also canned for the time being.

Diane Pierce was left stranded after her Maroochydore to Mildura flight was cancelled, with the airline refusing to pay for her accommodation after booking her on another flight five days after her first one.

“Trying to get home was like a nightmare, I didn’t think I was ever going to get home,” she told A Current Affair.

Things became even worse when her new flight was cancelled also, forcing her to pay for two new tickets with Jetstar and Qantas in order to complete her journey.

“The five days with all different flights cost $4600. I won’t be booking ever again with Bonza,” she said.

Mackay couple Josh and Jason chose to fly Bonza to attend a Christina Aguilera concert in Melbourne, but when their flight back got cancelled, they were forced to pay $3000 to get home with Virgin.

“I’ve been flying now for decades and this is the worst experience I’ve had with an airline, by far,” the couple said.

To make matters worse, their Bonza refund is taking at least three weeks to process.

Bonza chief executive Tim Jordan has apologised for the disruptions and cancellations, saying the route cancellations were a “last resort”.

“We’re sorry about what’s happened, it’s not who we are. Our DNA is about making the aviation industry here in Australia better,” he said.

He denied the airline was offering cheaper fares for a cheaper service, noting that only having four aircraft in operation has hindered it.

“Other airlines have 100 or 200 aircraft which means that they have more places to turn -- we need to be encouraged to grow so that we could offer more choice to the Australian travelling public,” he said.

“That is how we can deliver greater choice and greater service but absolutely our aim is to make sure there is a zero correlation between the fare you pay and the service you receive.”