An Adelaide couple holidaying in the Northern Territory said they had to take a 48-hour bus trip home after their Jetstar flight was cancelled over the weekend.
Therese Kenny and her husband George were holidaying in Darwin and were due to fly home to Adelaide on Saturday morning.
But just five hours before their flight was scheduled to leave, they were told it had been cancelled.
Ms Kenny told ABC Radio Adelaide the airline had offered her seats on another flight in about six days' time.
The former Liberal ministerial staffer and state candidate said she also found one-way flights from Darwin to Adelaide with an unspecified airline for $5,000 each.
"We just weren't in a position to do that, we could have gone to Europe and back for that," Ms Kenny said.
"We're feeling a bit wrecked to be honest."
Ms Kenny said she felt for families who would have travelled over the school holidays and may have found themselves in a similar situation.
"Mine I know is not the only story, we've heard of lots of people in similar situations," she said.
"It does bode a little bit for caution when you are looking to get away."
Ms Kenny said there were other passengers on their bus trip who had been on the same cancelled flight.
She said there were also passengers who had decided to take the bus rather than risk booking flights that would then be cancelled.
Cancellation caused by staffing issues
In a statement, a Jetstar spokesperson said the flight on Saturday was cancelled due to a "crew member being unwell".
Travelling by bus was not an option presented by the airline, but the spokesperson said customers affected by the cancellation were offered new flights or a reimbursement.
"Customers have been provided with alternative options, including the next available flight, accommodation in Darwin and reimbursement towards out-of-pocket expenses incurred as a result of the disruption, including meals and transport," the spokesperson said.
But the spokesperson admitted there was "very limited availability due to very full flights".
He said customers could also opt for a full refund.
Bus bookings on the rise
A spokesman from Greyhound Australia said the company had noticed an increase in bookings of late.
"We do know a reasonable proportion of this is due to flight cancellations," he said.
"While we don't track the customers' reasoning for travel actively, we have noted via customer feedback at the time of booking their service, that flight cancellations are playing a part, whether that be reactively or proactively in regards to flight cancellations."
The spokesman said Greyhound had been able to accommodate the influx comfortably.
He said while bus travel may not suit everyone, he encouraged people to consider using a bus service to avoid a potentially cancelled flight.
'Grateful to get home'
Ms Kenny said despite feeling like a "wild woman" by the end of her trip, taking the bus had not been so bad.
"It's safe, it's secure and you stop in some really quite unusual spots that you would probably never pull up into," she said.
"If you get into the right mindset, it's a great way just to kick back and think of nothing much and look out the window.
"That's how we approached it and we were really grateful we were able to get home."
Last week, a trio of sisters from Melbourne said they were stuck in Darwin for almost a week after their flights had been cancelled due to staff shortages.
"We were basically stranded, we didn't have any accommodation and we couldn't get another flight for another five days," Emma Pagotto said.
Erin Watkins and Mick Porter were also stuck in Darwin for almost an additional week when their flight was cancelled.
Some airlines have reported a surge in demand, higher than pre-pandemic levels.
In an op-ed published on Qantas' website on Sunday, domestic and international CEO Andrew David said delays around the country came down to COVID.
"Restarting an airline after a two-year grounding is complex and aviation labour markets, as with many others, are extremely tight," he said.
"Compounding that is the fact that COVID cases are steeply on the rise again at the same time as the winter flu season."
He dismissed claims that the company's decision to outsource ground handling was a key reason the restart had been hard.
