Offloaded passengers must re-isolate

Passengers offloaded from an Air NZ flight from Auckland to Australia because the plane was too heavy have been forced to isolate for a second time.

Some passengers on NZ151 to Brisbane on Saturday must reisolate in Auckland until they can rebook on a new flight.

Desiraye Solomon, 41, and her daughter, 21, are now in isolation after volunteering to get off the flight. She was due to return to the Gold Coast after visiting her ill father in Wellington and her mother in Auckland but is now not heading back until tomorrow.

Solomon and her daughter spent two weeks in managed isolation at Novotel Ellerslie from June 7 and tested negative for coronavirus before visiting her father. She described the incident on Saturday as ‘‘crazy’’ and was frustrated at Air NZ’S handling of the situation. The Solomons volunteered to get off the flight after the captain announced that efforts to rebalance the plane had failed. Solomon said she became ‘‘really irate’’ after Ministry of Health staff mentioned they might have to complete another two-week isolation.

‘‘There was no way I was doing another 14 days,’’ Solomon said. Solomon said Air NZ staff later handed her a ‘‘generic’’ letter which said offloaded passengers would be responsible for their own accommodation, meals and other costs.

She told airline staff to ‘‘put something inwriting’’ about their specific situation and after a bit of back and forth the letter was eventually changed to state the Solomons would quarantine until their new flight was arranged, and costs would be covered by Air NZ. Solomon said passengers should have been told at check-in that there was an issue.

Air NZ spokeswoman Liz Fraser said the flight had a ‘‘larger than expected payload’’ which meant several passengers were unable to travel.