{"id":383347,"date":"2026-03-09T08:10:34","date_gmt":"2026-03-08T22:10:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=383347"},"modified":"2026-03-09T08:10:39","modified_gmt":"2026-03-08T22:10:39","slug":"how-a-final-qantas-flights-passengers-ended-up-on-a-bus-instead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=383347","title":{"rendered":"How a final Qantas flight’s passengers ended up on a bus instead"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A flight that was meant to be the last of its kind was pushed to extinction earlier than anticipated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The last\u00a0Qantas<\/a>\u00a0flight from\u00a0Melbourne<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0Albury\u00a0was cancelled and replaced with a coach service on Sunday, March 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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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?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Passenger Elene Di Fiore said, however, she was told she would be returning to Albury on a flight, not a bus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I paid for air travel, not a long bus ride,” she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“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.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Qantas said customers received this SMS informing them of the cancellation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 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<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms Di Fiore opted to stay the night in Melbourne and fly to Albury via\u00a0Sydney<\/a> the following morning, rather than catch the bus replacement service that day as she could not be placed on a flight earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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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?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Elene Di Fiore received SMS notification that the final flight to Albury had been cancelled. Picture supplied<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms Di Fiore is calling for Qantas to reinstate the direct flight from Melbourne to Albury and compensate customers who were affected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Australia needs a fast train service between Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

“This is not so much about me chasing compensation,” Ms Di Fiore told ACM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“This is about chasing something that is fair for our community, which is connectivity and knowing that we have a reliable service.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Lyle Taylor was on the final flight of the now retired Q300 fleet in 2025. File picture<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It comes amid calls for the regional service to be reinstated.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":383354,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[402,515],"tags":[9998,993,5026,8],"class_list":["post-383347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-airline-news","category-qantas","tag-albury","tag-melbourne","tag-nsw","tag-victoria"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t