Virgin Australia Bali to Brisbane Canceled Due to Sick Crew Member

3rd Jul 2015

Virgin Australia had to cancel its overseas flight between Bali and Brisbane early this Sunday and the reason was less than usual. Namely, one of the crew members called in and reported that he came down with some kind of illness.

Passengers who were waiting for the plane to take off didn't know their flight would be cancelled until they arrived at Denpasar airport around midnight. In the end, Boeing 737-800 left without the passengers, with only the pilots on board as it had to keep its schedule in Australia.

Most Passengers Waited for the Next Brisbane Flight

Several passengers boarded a plane to Sydney that arrived later, but most of them decided to wait for the next one to Brisbane.

Since the next Bali-Brisbane flight was not due for another 20 hours, Virgin Australia took its guests to the nearby Dynasty Bali Hotel (4.5 stars), where they got rooms and meals.

One would be passenger said:

"Several passengers volunteered to do the food service themselves, if it meant the flight taking off."

1 Crew Member for 50 Passengers

According to the Civil Aviation Safety Authorities, the aircraft must have at least one crew member for every 50 passengers on board.

Boeing 737-800 has a full capacity of 176 passengers, which means it has to have a crew of at least four members according to CASA.

A spokesman for CASA said the carrier that does not meet this requirement and flies passengers with less than minimum crew is breaching regulations.

Virgin Australia Confirms Crew Member Got Sick

The carrier confirmed one of its crew members was ill and that this was the reason it had to cancel Bali-Brisbane flight. However, the spokesman for Virgin Australia refused to reveal what kind of sickness was in question due to privacy reasons.

Instead he said:

"All guests were re-accommodated on alternative flights by the next day and we apologise for the inconvenience this caused."

All in all, the carrier lost about $100,000 on fuel, hotel, crew and buses.