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More than 100 people were due to leave Hamilton Island in the Whitsundays on Monday afternoon when there was an issue with the plane.
The flight was delayed and then, in what one traveller called “a perfect storm”, the runway lights stopped working, meaning the plane couldn’t take off after dark.
Regardless of the runway issue, the engineering issue was not fixed and Jetstar said “bad weather meant we were unfortunately unable to operate a replacement flight”.
“It was an absolute disaster,” passenger Ellie Cunning told Nine.com.au.
Everyone was taken off the plane, told to collect their luggage, and wait for further instruction as Hamilton Island was at capacity due to the school holidays.
“They told us, ‘what we’re going to do is put you on a ferry to Airlie Beach and someone will be there to meet you on the other side’,” Cunning said.
But an hour later when the boat arrived at the terminal there was no one to greet the dozens of passengers.
“There was a lady in a wheelchair, there was a guy who needed to get surgery in Melbourne,” another passenger, Anna Attard, told Nine.com.au.
“There was a lady with mental health issues who was supposed to be admitted to hospital, there was an elderly couple, she could barely walk.”
Staff at the cruise terminal tried to contact the airline, along with the passengers, many of whom said they were on hold for over an hour.
When it became clear no one was coming and no one was contactable, the Airlie Beach community got to work.
Some offered up spare rooms in their homes, local council opened up the PCYC for “emergency accommodation” and the someone else organised a bus to take the stranded travellers there.
The local Dominos pizza and fish and chips restaurant made sure everyone was fed free of charge and makeshift beds were set up.
“We slept on a thin little gym mat, my wife and I, she’s got major hip issues and so do I,” Michael Refalo, who was away with his wife for her 50th birthday, said.
“We didn’t have any blankets, we just had to use what was in our luggage but that was soaking wet.”
Tommy Bakoulis, who was on honeymoon with his wife, described the ordeal as a “nightmare”.
“It was the worst experience of my life,” he said.
“We were sleeping on the floor and I’ve already got back problems.”
Anna Attard, who was on the island for a family wedding, said if she knew there was nowhere to stay at Airlie Beach she would have stayed with the bride and groom.
Luckily they had family on the mainland but still had to squeeze into a place without enough beds for everyone.
“We were drenched and exhausted, and you try not to cry in front of your kids,” she said.
“It was terrible, I’ve never ever been treated like that.
“I consider myself a victim. I am quite a solid person (and) I am a problem solver, but what they did to us was disgusting.”
By morning most passengers had still not heard from Jetstar and as the airline had no flights leaving Hamilton Island in the coming days.
Many of them organised their own ferry travel back to the island and bought tickets on a Qantas flight which put them hundreds of dollars out of pocket.
“We literally got engaged the day before so it’s been the highest of highs and the lowest of lows,” Cunning said.
In a statement to Nine.com.au Jetstar said “we sincerely apologise and deeply regret the extreme disruption passengers experienced”.
“Passengers were provided a ferry to Airlie Beach as there was no accommodation available on Hamilton Island,” the statement read.
“Our teams worked hard to try to secure accommodation in Airlie Beach, however there were extremely limited accommodation options available on the Whitsundays Coast.
“As a result, a local community centre was used to provide accommodation for those who needed it. We send our sincere thanks to the local community in Airlie Beach for their support overnight.”
The airline promised it will “provide reimbursement towards any accommodation, meals and transport costs incurred as a result of the disruption”.
