A flight that was meant to be the last of its kind was pushed to extinction earlier than anticipated.
The last Qantas flight from Melbourne to Albury was cancelled and replaced with a coach service on Sunday, March 1.
A Qantas spokesperson confirmed flight QF2046 was cancelled due to an “engineering issue”, and, with no spare aircraft available, passengers were referred to a bus service to Albury instead.
Why was the train nbot provided as an option for passengers given the time available to book a seat on the train leaving just after midday?
Passenger Elene Di Fiore said, however, she was told she would be returning to Albury on a flight, not a bus.
“I paid for air travel, not a long bus ride,” she said.
“This was only revealed after I had already dropped off my hire car and arrived at the airport, there was no clear warning that my only options to get home were by road.”
While Qantas said it sent out several alerts to affected travellers, including a text message informing them of the bus replacement, Ms Di Fiore said she was informed via text the flight had been rebooked.
Qantas said customers received this SMS informing them of the cancellation
We are sorry for the cancellation of your flight QF2046 from Melbourne to Albury on 1 March 2026. We understand that disruptions are frustrating. To help get everyone to Albury as planned, the original flight will now operate as a bus service from Melbourne.
Please proceed to the arrivals hall. The bus will depart from Melbourne at 12:00pm. We are doing everything we can to get you on your way. Please see email for details
Ms Di Fiore opted to stay the night in Melbourne and fly to Albury via Sydney the following morning, rather than catch the bus replacement service that day as she could not be placed on a flight earlier.
That makes no sense when she could have taken a train that day to Albury from Melbourne CBD. There are 5 trains per day each way on this sector and she could not have found a train seat?
Qantas reimbursed her $200 for accommodation and she was also given $30 in cash gift cards at the service desk to buy something to eat and drink.
Ms Di Fiore said she was out of pocket for her transport to and from the airport, and the accommodation she sourced herself came to more than the $200 reimbursed.
Elene Di Fiore received SMS notification that the final flight to Albury had been cancelled. Picture supplied
Ms Di Fiore is calling for Qantas to reinstate the direct flight from Melbourne to Albury and compensate customers who were affected.
Australia needs a fast train service between Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney.
“This is not so much about me chasing compensation,” Ms Di Fiore told ACM.
“This is about chasing something that is fair for our community, which is connectivity and knowing that we have a reliable service.”
Albury-Wodonga aircraft enthusiast Lyle Taylor said he was “devastated” that the final Q400 route was cancelled, and had planned to catch the flight from Melbourne and back again as a last hurrah with his favourite airline.
Lyle Taylor was on the final flight of the now retired Q300 fleet in 2025. File picture
“I was up to catch the 4.45am bus to Melbourne for the last flight and I even had a T-shirt made,” he said.
