Newcastle woman Sabrina Wild and her partner booked a holiday to the Whitsunday Islands with three other couples last year.
They locked in a seven-day boat charter for August this year and found cheap flights, at $225 return per person, out of Newcastle Airport on fledgling airline Bonza.
Fast forward to this week and the friends have been forced to fork out another $1000 per couple to secure replacement flights out of Sydney after Bonza entered voluntary administration.
"It was something we didn't want to not get to on time, so we urgently rebooked all our flights at double the price on top of what we'd already paid," Ms Wild said.
"We're not sure if we're ever going to get a refund, but we couldn't take a chance on it.
"Our expectation is that we won't get one, so we'll just have to accept that.
"It's more of an inconvenience and, yes, it's a first-world problem."
Federal Transport Minister Catherine King said on ABC radio on Wednesday morning that it was "unlikely" Bonza would survive.
The airline grounded all its flights on Tuesday, including those from Newcastle to Queensland, after creditors of its US parent company repossessed its four planes.
Bonza has cancelled services until at least Friday.
"The administrators, we've been speaking to them overnight. They're trying to get the airline back up and running," Ms King said.
"I think they've got to look at the books a fair bit. It's unlikely that will happen."
She said customers would need to contact Bonza or the administrators "to find out what the next steps are".
Bonza's administrators have set up a hotline for customers on (03) 8678 1600.
Ms Wild said she was frustrated that Bonza had not communicated with customers before or after it shut down.
"It was only two days earlier we just got sent an email saying our flight times had changed," she said.
"Within less than 48 hours later it was, 'Yeah, no. No flights.'
"We've been given no notification to say our flight's been cancelled. It's all just become what's in the media and what's on Facebook.
"None of us have received anything."
Another Newcastle customer, reacting to the surprise shutdown on the Newcastle Herald's Facebook page, said: "Great well I hope I get a refund."
Ms King said customers who had paid for future flights would become creditors of the company if it was wound up.
"That is normally the case in a voluntary administration like that," she said.
She encouraged customers to head to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission website to find information about their rights when a company entered voluntary administration.
The airline's website is no longer taking bookings.
The company said in a statement on its website that the administrators were considering whether the company could keep trading.
"The company's fleet is currently grounded pending discussions with relevant parties and key stakeholders," the statement reads.
"The grounding of the fleet is currently up to and including Thursday 2 May 2024 and customers with bookings during this period are advised not to travel to the airport.
"The discussions regarding ongoing trading are occurring over the forthcoming days and the administrators will be in a position to update all stakeholders as the matter progresses."
Bonza started flying from Newcastle to the Whitsunday coast and Sunshine Coast in March 2023, clocking up 65,000 passengers on the two routes in its first year.
The company's Facebook page has become littered in recent months with comments from customers fuming about flight delays and poor communication.
The Bonza statement said the administrators were "required to provide creditors with information and recommendations to assist creditors to decide upon the company's future, which they ordinarily do at a meeting of creditors held at the end of the convening period".
"The administrators will endeavour to provide regular updates to all stakeholders across multiple platforms so that all affected parties have access to up-to-date information."
