Travellers have been left scrambling after a decision by Batik Air to reduce the number of direct flights from Bali to Canberra, just two months after its inaugural service.
The first flight from the Indonesian province landed at Canberra Airport in June at an event attended by dignitaries, including the Indonesian Ambassador.
But the airline has already walked back on its commitment to provide three services a week between the cities.
The Canberra Airport said slower-than-hoped demand meant the carrier would now provide two flights a week.
'We thought it was a scam'
Canberra nurses Jo Tren-Platt (left) and Ellie Honeybone had their flight to Bali with Batik Air, which was six months in the making, cancelled. (ABC News: Lily Nothling)
The cancellations have been a major source of frustration for Canberra nurse Jo Tren-Platt, whose Bali trip with three friends has been a year in the making.
The group was due to depart Canberra on September 1, but Batik Air recently advised the service had been suspended and the women were shifted onto a flight leaving seven days earlier.
"Initially we thought it was a scam, because it came through WhatsApp, but then when we went investigating, it was true," Ms Tren-Platt said.
"Everyone in our travel party is a nurse, so you just can't change your leave with a week's notice."
Ms Tren-Platt said the group was given the option to fly out of Sydney but would have to cover the extra transport and accommodation costs.
Canberra nurses Jo Tren-Platt (left) and Ellie Honeybone opted to re-book their flight to Bali with another airline. (ABC News: Lily Nothling)
Instead, the women chose to re-book with another airline, flying via Sydney, at three times the price of their original flight.
"We just felt it was just too big of a risk to trust [Batik Air] again," Ms Tren-Platt said.
"[The experience] added stress to a holiday that was already all planned and set in stone.
"We've had to pay for extra flights at a significantly higher price, which is disappointing when you've been saving for a holiday."
Route slow to take off
The Batik Air website shows no flights available between Canberra and Bali between August 25 and September 13. (ABC News: Lily Nothling)
The Batik Air website shows no flights available between Canberra and Bali between August 25 and September 13.
Canberra Airport's head of aviation Michael Thomson said it was disappointing people's travel plans had been disrupted.
He said demand from passengers had not come on as quickly as Batik Air had hoped.
"When you start a new route, it usually takes between six and nine months to get established," he said.
Mr Thomson said the airline had not flagged any further service reductions.
Canberra Airport head of aviation Michael Thomson says its analysis suggests the Batik Air route is "very sustainable". (ABC News: Nick Haggarty)
"We would imagine that as the route gets established, as we move into the holiday period, numbers on those flights will continue to increase," Mr Thomson said.
"When that happens, they may actually start thinking about putting the additional service back on.
"Our analysis suggests that the route is very sustainable, and it's really a question of Canberrans getting behind it, supporting it, and becoming more and more aware that this service exists, and starting to book their holidays."
Batik Air's inaugural flight into Canberra also saw teething problems, with the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigating after it came in "below minimum altitude".
How viable are international flights to Australia's capital?
CQUniversity aviation expert Doug Drury says running international flights out of Canberra is challenging because it's a relatively small market. (ABC News: Monte Bovill)
Batik Air is only the second international carrier currently servicing the ACT, after Fiji Airways began operating flights between Canberra and Nadi last year.
CQUniversity aviation expert Professor Doug Drury said running international flights out of Canberra was always going to be a challenge.
"It's economies of scale – it's a relatively smaller market," he said.
"Airlines don't like to fly half-full flights or have empty seats, because an empty seat represents no money being made.
"[Canberra] is a tough market because it's more of a government centre than it is a tourist destination."
Mr Thomson disputed that.
"You take Canberra's population and include surrounds, we're at about a million people," he said.
"It's a wealthy population base, and it's a population that likes to travel overseas.
"We believe that Canberra has a great appetite for international travel, and we've certainly seen that as the Fiji services continue to grow from reasonably slow beginnings to a very, very strong service now."
Mr Thomson said the airport was "constantly in discussions with airlines" to secure routes to other international destinations, including Singapore and New Zealand.