Australian carriers report cancellations due to Brisbane floods

Australian carriers Qantas Airways and Virgin Blue separately stated they had planned to operate scheduled services to Brisbane on 12-Jan-2011 as the city faces its worst floods since 1974 (Bloomberg/Reuters, 12-Jan-2011). Qantas spokesman Simon Rushton stated flights to Brisbane are not as full as usual as some passengers have cancelled trips. Both carriers and Jetstar are waiving fees for passengers who change bookings. Virgin Blue has evacuated its Brisbane headquarters due to the flood which has also forced the closure of Rockhampton Airport. The flooding is having a devastating impact on the state's tourism sector. Meanwhile, Australia's Brisbane Airport Corp (BAC) stated (13-Jan-2011) it is confident the airport will now stay open after experiencing a 04:00 high tide without any critical infrastructure being compromised. SilkAir informed customers who have onward connections to Brisbane via Singapore Airlines to Brisbane Airport remain normal at this point in time despite severe flooding in parts of Queensland. [more - Brisbane Airport] [more - SilkAir]