City of Coffs Harbour Council has acknowledged a decision by Qantas to temporarily suspend its direct Coffs Harbour-Melbourne service, saying it understands the broader operational pressures currently facing the aviation sector.
The national carrier announced the Coffs Harbour-Melbourne service will be suspended from 18 May to 14 June as part of a raft of flight reductions across the country.
“Clearly it’s not ideal to have this disruption to our direct connection to Melbourne, even if for only a short period of time,” said Mayor, Nikki Williams.
“It will be inconvenient for people who had booked or planned to travel to Melbourne during that window and it will also impact our inbound tourism market.”
The Mayor said the Council was committed to working collaboratively with airline carriers and the Coffs Harbour Airport to see a full return to services as soon as possible.
“The interests of our community are front of mind for the City, and we are committed to working collaboratively with airline carriers and the Coffs Harbour Airport during these challenges to see a full return to services as soon as possible,” she said.
“I would expect Qantas to do everything possible to look after its customers during this globally uncertain time, including minimising any flow-on effects to pricing on the Coffs to Sydney route and honouring any existing bookings to Melbourne at the same price via Sydney re-routing.”
Coffs Harbour Airport Chief Executive Officer, Craig Shaw said travellers would still be able to reach Melbourne from Coffs via a connecting flight from Sydney.
“Typically we have five flights a week from Coffs to Melbourne, so 20 flights will be impacted all up,” Mr Shaw said.
“There’s no indication of any reduction in the Coffs services to Sydney, and if you look at the Coffs-Melbourne tickets, they are there to be booked again from 15 June.”
“I understand Qantas customers who had booked to fly to Melbourne during the service suspension period will be offered a refund or the option to reroute through Sydney.
Customers are encouraged to contact Qantas direct with any queries regarding flight changes and alternative arrangements.
