Regional Express (Rex) has defended itself after Wagga-bound passengers were left stranded in Melbourne on Sunday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The two planes scheduled to fly to Wagga had breakdowns and while some passengers managed to travel via Albury, others were left with no way home.
A Rex spokeswoman said it was an “extremely rare event as Rex consistently operates with the lowest cancellation of all the major airlines in Australia”.
“After the arrival of the first Wagga to Melbourne service at 1.55pm the aircraft had a technical problem which made it unserviceable,” the spokeswoman said.
“As a result the return 3.15pm service had to be cancelled with passengers re-accommodated to a mix of the evening Melbourne to Albury service – with a bus transfer from Albury to Wagga – and a delayed 6.35pm service to Wagga. The passengers that travelled on the (Albury) service departed with minimal delay.”
However, the 6.35pm flight to Wagga was delayed until 8.58pm before being cancelled.
“This aircraft encountered a technical problem prior to take-off and unfortunately had to be cancelled at the last minute,” the spokeswoman said. “Rex sincerely apologises for the significant disruption that this caused.”
Doctor Rodney Kurtzer said he got to the airport at 5pm but after boarding the evening flight the engine wouldn’t start.
“At 11pm we all had to find accommodation with no help from Rex and there was no clear indication as to when we would get home,” Dr Kurtzer said. “It was too late to hire a car to drive back to Wagga.”
According to Dr Kurtzer, Rex had at least four breakdowns in Melbourne on Sunday, but passengers were kept in the dark for hours.
“There wasn't any real communication and only one person to deal with a lot of angry and upset travellers,” Dr Kurtzer said.
“Some had been at the airport since 2pm and had no idea what was happening – it was 8pm before they found out they wouldn't be flying.
“People were talking of flying via Sydney in future, at least we would get home.”