Over 200 Australians are facing frustration after a last-minute cancellation of flights by a Melbourne-based travel firm. The company, AVG Travels, not only disrupted their clients’ plans but also inadvertently exposed their email addresses in the process.
The abrupt cancellations came to light when AVG Travels informed some customers on May 13 that their anticipated flights to China would not proceed as planned. This unexpected news left many travelers scrambling to find alternative ways to reach their luxurious five-star vacation destinations.
Approximately 230 individuals, who were set to embark on their journey on a Monday morning, received this unsettling update with merely five days’ notice. Such short notice has understandably sparked concern and confusion among the affected passengers.
In an attempt to explain the situation, the company cited ‘exceptionally high travel demand’ coupled with ‘operational limitations related to accommodation and ground service capacity’ as the reasons for the disruption. These factors, they claimed, necessitated changes to the original travel arrangements.
The company conveyed its apologies through an email, as reported by the Daily Mail, stating, “Your current departure has been affected and requires alternative departure arrangements.” They added, “On behalf of the management team, we sincerely apologize for the disruption to your upcoming tour.”
‘On behalf of the management team, we sincerely apologise for the disruption to your upcoming… tour.
‘We understand your frustration and are committed to resolving this in full compliance with the Australian Consumer Law.’
Victorian business analyst Amma Owusu was one of the affected passengers who had been eagerly awaiting her trip to China for a 13-day, five-star package holiday called ‘Essence of China with Terracotta Warriors’, which cost at least $1,999.
Hundreds of Australians are frustrated after AVG Travels cancelled their flights to China just days before they were due to go on a five-star package holiday
‘I’m disappointed as I was really looking forward to having a break, and also because my birthday plans just went,’ the 42-year-old told the Daily Mail.
‘I’m also frustrated because I have to wait to get my money back before I can do anything.
‘If they had let us know last week and given us our money then, most of us would have made alternative arrangements by now.’
AVG Travels gave customers the option to reschedule their trip for two dates later this year or in 2027, with a $100 Travel Credit.
However, the bonus was ‘limited to the first registrations due to partner capacity’.
It also offered the option to convert bookings to ‘land only’ – a tour or holiday package that excludes international or domestic airfare – which would mean customers would have to organise their own flights.
‘If a customer requests this option, we will provide the land services as scheduled and refund the difference in pricing (excluding the flight component),’ it said.
A third offering was for passengers to receive a refund, which would take 50 to 60 business days due to the ‘complexity of recovering deposits from international airlines and overseas providers’.
AVG Travels said ‘exceptionally high travel demand’ and ‘operational limitations relating to accommodation and ground service capacity’ were to blame for the cancellations
Ms Owusu said she had chosen AVG Travels because they allowed travellers to add days to their package trip.
‘That meant I could go to Hong Kong and a few other places before coming back home,’ she said.
But, she said her plans were now ruined and she was struggling to afford flights to additional destinations.
Almost a week after the news, she managed to organise her refund on Tuesday.
The Daily Mail has contacted AVG Travels for comment.
The travel agency had also been forced to apologise to customers before they cancelled their flights due to accidentally sharing personal information.
Chief executive David Dao had sent an email on May 11, in which he said there were delays to flight confirmations.
‘We know many customers are concerned while waiting for travel updates and final flight confirmations for upcoming departures, and we sincerely apologise for the uncertainty this has caused,’ he wrote.
AVG Travels chief executive David Dao (pictured) sent an email on May 11, in which he said there were delays to flight confirmations
‘Due to ongoing operational disruptions during this current peak travel period, some bookings are taking longer than expected to finalise.’
However, Mr Dao copied recipients into the email instead of blind copying them, resulting in all email addresses being visible and breaching data privacy.
This prompted a further apology from the customer support team.
‘We sincerely apologise for an administrative error in our previous email communication, where customer email addresses were unintentionally visible to other recipients,’ it read.
‘To protect customer privacy, we kindly ask that you do not reply to the previous email thread and delete the earlier email from your inbox.
‘We are currently reviewing this matter internally and taking immediate steps to ensure this does not happen again.’
The Council of Australian Tour Operators (CATO) has since suspended AVG Travels’ membership while many of the disgruntled clients sent complaints to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, or ACCC.
‘On becoming aware of complaints against AVG Travels this week, we moved quickly to review their accreditation status,’ general manager Mira Yates said, ABC News reports.
‘That review has resulted in the immediate suspension of AVG Travels’ CATO accreditation.’
