Bali volcano: ‘Safety comes first’ as Jetstar, Qantas rush to get stranded tourists in Bali
HOLIDAY CHAOS
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JETSTAR and Qantas are currently flying thousands of Australian tourists home from Bali who have been stranded by the Mount Agung volcano eruption.
Travel plans were thrown into chaos due to the closure of the airport on Sunday, which analysts predict was costing the tourist island more than $AU25 million a day.
Authorities had closed the airport for a third day yesterday due to the safety risk caused by plumes of ash billowing from the volcano, however the aviation alert was dropped from red to orange allowing the airport to reopen.
Jetstar and Qantas have ten scheduled flights today and will put on another six relief flights, which will see a total of 3,800 people return to Australia.
“We are doing everything we can to get customers moving as quickly as possible,” A Jetstar spokesperson said.
Port Douglas business owners Chris Bradsworth and his wife, Michelle, were due to arrive in Bali on Tuesday night before their holiday plans were ruined.
“I understand it’s frustrating for a lot of people, but I think airline safety comes first,” Bradsworth told Newsport.
“If you had a wedding planned or for the people that are stuck over there, it’s not ideal. But would you rather get on your flight only for the plane to come down, or not get on it at all?”
Mount Agung towers 3000 metres to the east of the island, around 70km from the tourist hotspots of Kuta and Seminyak.
Volcanic ash containing tiny shards of glass and crystals can play havoc with aircraft pressure systems and cause engine failure.
Plumes had been interfering with the airspace of Australian flights to and from Bali for almost three days, forcing Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia to ground their planes. It’s still unclear when they will resume normal flight schedules to and from the tourist mecca.
More than 160,000 were still stranded due to the cancelled flights yesterday.
Airlines are offering customers a number of options for their cancelled trips ranging from full refunds, credit for future travel and alternative locations, such as Singapore, Phuket, Fiji or Tokyo, free of charge.
“Jetstar have been pretty good and they were sending out enough information to keep us informed,” Bradsworth said.
I had a chat with @newscomauHQ about #Agung volcano, how it IS erupting right now, and what that actually means:https://t.co/nkLKSFjten pic.twitter.com/Ox1JTmyIjq
— Dr Janine Krippner (@janinekrippner) November 29, 2017
“They were offering customers four alternatives, but the only realistic one for us from Cairns was Japan.
"We decided not to worry about it.”
It comes as Bali braced for a major eruption potentially ‘within hours’ following a huge tremor at the volcanos crater. More than 100,000 residents near the mountain have been told to evacuate, although it’s believed as little as half have.
The Mount Agung volcano last erupted in 1963 killing more than 1100 people.
Mount #Agung: #Bali volcano eruption photos explained (by me): https://t.co/nlPFhCbHPg pic.twitter.com/rVdkWfx6lP
— Dr Janine Krippner (@janinekrippner) November 27, 2017
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