Virgin Australia passengers faced a raft of delays at Queenstown Airport over Easter weekend. Photo / Mike Scott
Virgin Australia passengers faced a raft of delays at Queenstown Airport over Easter weekend. Photo / Mike Scott
Passengers at Queenstown Airport faced disruptions with Virgin Australia over Easter, including a near-security breach.
Sydney-bound flight VA162 was cancelled due to engineering issues and crew reaching duty limits.
Passengers spent the night in the terminal with sleeping bags; Virgin sent a recovery flight Sunday.
Passengers travelling out of Queenstown Airport with Virgin Australia over the weekend faced a string of disruptions, with some becoming caught up in a near-security breach and others spending their night in sleeping bags.
One passenger accused the airline of not having adequate plans in place at Queenstown Airport, telling the Sydney Morning Herald its lack of staff makes it “entirely incapable” of addressing such disruptions.
Virgin said it regrets not being able to “deliver the level of service and support we strive to provide our guests when unexpected disruption occurs” and was taking action “to try and prevent similar issues occurring again”.
On Saturday, Sydney-bound passengers on Virgin flight VA162 were informed their flight had been delayed by an engineering issue.
Several were offloaded to meet operational weight restrictions imposed in light of the issue, but during the process, the flight crew reached their maximum allowable duty hours under aviation regulations.
Aviation regulations in New Zealand and Australia limit how long someone can work for without a required break, leading to the flight’s cancellation.
Queenstown accommodation was fully booked over Easter. Photo / Destination Queenstown
Queenstown Airport’s chief operating officer Todd Grace told the Herald while there’s “usually little problem accommodating” passengers in Queenstown overnight, “all the available accommodation” was booked due to high demand over the school holidays and Easter.
Airport staff prepared a section of the terminal for passengers to sleep in overnight, with security present and refreshments “where available”, while Virgin supplied red sleeping bags, Grace said.
Virgin sent an ad hoc recovery flight on Easter Sunday to collect about 100 passengers stranded at the airport, although its departure was also delayed.
A separate Sunday flight, VA164, was also delayed for three hours and 20 minutes after several passengers were offloaded then sent through the wrong gate, breaching security protocols.
Virgin said this was the result of a “communication breakdown”.
Passengers reportedly saw staff confused and disagreeing over what to do while passengers waited for instructions.
Virgin Australia says it regrets not being able to “deliver the level of service and support we strive to provide our guests when unexpected disruption occurs”. Photo / Robert Myers
One affected traveller expressed frustration at Virgin for its decision-making over the weekend in an email to the Sydney Morning Herald.
“No accommodation provided or available in Queenstown so 100 people slept on the carpet at the airport. Isn’t that illegal?
“The airline has such a skeletal staff here in NZ it is entirely incapable of dealing with these delays.”
Queenstown Deputy Mayor Quentin Smith told the Herald Virgin’s choice to leave passengers stranded overnight “isn’t a good look” for the airline.
Smith said “it is up to the airlines to look after their customers in case of disruptions”, but was “very sorry” to hear of passengers’ experiences.
Grace said it was “unusual to have that many people stay overnight in the terminal”, but Queenstown Airport tries to ensure airlines are equipped to handle any disruptions to passengers.
“While having passengers overnight in the terminal is rare, we know it can happen,” Grace said.
A Virgin spokesperson acknowledged passengers’ concerns and said it was “continuing to engage with our team and ground handler” to improve its operations.
Virgin’s aircraft ground handling services are contracted by Menzies, the spokesperson said, while the airport has limited infrastructure, which can lead to delays “during periods of high activity or disruption”.
“We sincerely apologise to our guests for this experience”.
Tom Rose is an Auckland-based journalist who covers breaking news, specialising in lifestyle, entertainment and travel. He joined the Herald in 2023.
