STRATEGIC SAGA Australian Passengers Remain Stranded In Phuket
Australian carrier Strategic Airlines has again revised plans to resume disrupted services today, though according to the airline a schedule is yet to be confirmed.
We have received a number of complaints on our website from passengers who have been stuck on the island since last Wednesday.
A notice as follows has been posted by the airline –
Phuket/Bali Flight Update
UPDATE 10:00AM AEST 19th June 2011
We ask that all passengers flying on the below services remain where they are until further notice. Once the flight details are confirmed, you will be notified via sms, email or by your travel agent. If you are in Phuket or Bali, please remain in your hotel until further notice. Please keep checking our website for information updates.
We regret to advise the following flights have been delayed. Below is an approximate departure time for each flight. These departure times are subject to change at any time, so please keep checking the website for regular updates.
VC247 – 17 June 2011 Phuket to Brisbane. We estimate that this flight will depart on 19 June 2011 TBA.
VC226 – 18 June 2011 Brisbane to Denpasar. We estimate that this flight will depart on 19 June 2011 TBA.
VC227 – 18 June 2011 Denpasar to Brisbane. We estimate that this flight will depart on 20 June 2011 TBA.
VC246 – 19 June 2011 Brisbane to Phuket. We estimate that this flight will depart on 20 June 2011 TBA.
VC241 – 19 June 2011 Phuket to Melbourne. We estimate that this flight will depart on 20 June 2011 TBA.
We apologise for the inconvenience this has caused.
Flight VC240 – 17 June 2011 Melbourne to Phuket has been cancelled. Passengers booked on this flight will be offered a full refund and the opportunity to rebook your flight free of charge within 12 months. Please email [email protected] and one of our team members will be in contact within five business days. Again we sincerely apologise for the inconvenience this has caused.
Flight VC241 – 16 June 2011 Phuket to Melbourne has been cancelled. We are working with other airlines to try and get our passengers to their destinations as quickly as possible. Strategic Airlines will contact passengers via text message or by local contact. Again we apologise for any inconvenience this has caused.
Strategic Airlines are still working with our Engineers to resolve the technical issues we are currently experiencing.
Due to a minor technical fault, a decision was made to divert our Brisbane to Phuket service VC246 to Kuala Lumpur Thursday evening. As a result of the late arrival into Kuala Lumpur, all passengers and crew were accommodated in nearby hotels.
Strategic Airlines apologises sincerely for this inconvenience however we are committed to our Captain's discretion to exercise our Safety First principle, without compromise.
Our team are working swiftly to return this aircraft to service as soon as possible and to make alternative travel arrangements for our passengers.
Given the large volumes of calls to our reservations team, we will continue to provide updated information on our website.
Again our sincere apologies, we are endeavouring to return to our normal service as soon as possible. Thank you for your continued patience.
Strategic Airlines