Taylor Swift fans have faced a transport headache to attend her concert in Melbourne tonight, after a flight from the Sunshine Coast was cancelled this morning.
A Jetstar spokesperson confirmed to Sunshine Coast News that flight JQ793, scheduled to depart at 8am, had been cancelled due to an engineering issue, but that all passengers attending Swift’s show tonight had been rebooked on other flights.
“Customers booked to travel on this morning’s cancelled flight have been reaccommodated on alternative Jetstar and Qantas flights,” they said.
“We know some Swifties were travelling to Melbourne, so we offered a range of options to get everyone moving in time for tonight’s show.”
Budget airline Bonza also stepped in by putting on an additional flight today ahead of the 14-time Grammy-winning singer-songwriter’s three shows in the Victorian capital.
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“We know how important this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is for Swifties. So today, we’re putting on an additional flight to accommodate stranded Swifities at the Sunshine Coast Airport, meaning they won’t miss their chance to Shake it Off with Tay Tay at her first concert in Melbourne tonight,” Bonza CEO Tim Jordan said.
The Bonza flight is scheduled to depart Sunshine Coast Airport for Tullamarine Airport at 1pm.
The Jetstar spokesperson said the airline did not keep a record of the number of people attending the Swift show but that they would all make it to the concert in time.
They said Jetstar had another flight at 11.55am from the Sunshine Coast to Melbourne, as well as the option of going via Sydney or departing from Brisbane or the Gold Coast.
The spokesperson said some passengers who weren’t attending the Swift show may also have decided not to travel.
In a press release, Bonza said it had seen an increase in bookings for flights to Melbourne coinciding with Swift’s shows at the MCG.
“We definitely saw a Swift Lift in bookings, with most flights from Sunshine Coast, Bundaberg, Toowoomba, Port Macquarie, Mildura and Rockhampton to Melbourne (Tullamarine) fully booked, as well as flights from Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast to Melbourne (Avalon) at capacity too,” Mr Jordan said.
“Demand is high for Aussies to travel domestically and at Bonza we’re proud to connect customers in regional centres to more of their backyard than ever before with low-cost airfares, which is a win for domestic tourism.”
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