A budget airline has been blasted for leaving customers in the dark after announcing it would no longer operate flights between Perth and Bali.
Citilink Airline has permanently cancelled all flights between the two cities for the remainder of 2025, extending an earlier suspension which was set to end on May 1.
A spokesperson for Perth Airport confirmed the suspension on Wednesday, telling Daily Mail Australia: ‘A return date [has] yet to be confirmed by the airline’.
Passengers who booked flights directly through the Indonesian carrier have or will be notified, PerthNow reported.
Those who booked through third parties will be notified once travel agents receive confirmation of the decision.
Before suspending flights for the remainder of the year, the budget airline refused to confirm whether services would return as normal beyond May 1.
Earlier this month, a Citilink spokesperson told The West Australian that ‘no one is sure what will happen after May 1’.
Travellers immediately took to a popular Bali travel Facebook page to question whether to cancel their flights amid the uncertainty.
Citilink has cancelled all flights to and from Perth for the remainder of 2025
A spokesperson for Perth Airport confirmed the suspension adding it was not yet clear when services would return
‘Citilink called me yesterday and they have officially cancelled all flights until end of April and you can receive a full refund,’ one user said.
‘Apparently, May flights are still scheduled to depart.
‘However, if like me, [you] believe they won’t depart in May, you will only receive 75 per cent of your ticket for a voluntary refund.
‘To receive a full refund, you have to wait for official communication from Citilink that your flight has been cancelled.’
A number of customers said they had booked alternative flights while waiting to receive a full refund once Citilink announced the cancellation.
The company’s TripAdvisor page has been inundated with negative reviews in recent months, with travellers complaining about extended refund periods and short notice periods.
One customer said: ‘For me, this is more about the unconscionable practice of refusing to be transparent with Australians about their plans.
‘Citilink should just call a spade a shovel and formally announce the cessation of the PER-DPS route to allow passengers to re-book alternative.’
Citilink customers have complained of extended refund periods for affected flights
‘Worst airline I have ever dealt with. Cancelled all flights for whole month less than two weeks after booking,’ one reviewer said.
‘No offer to reschedule. I had to apply for a refund and was told it would take 30 days’.
‘It’s all gone very quiet. We are booked for August and they won’t tell us anything,’ another user said.
Other users complained of refund waiting periods of up to two months.
Many customers said they were left disappointed by the experience, having previously enjoyed the price point offered by the budget carrier.
‘Our son is going in May and his have been cancelled too. Shame as we used them last year and they were great,’ one Facebook user said.
When Citilink began operating flights to Perth in 2023, then-Premier Roger Cook praised the move as an ‘incredibly important part of fostering our economic relationship’ with Indonesia.
Mr Cook interpreted the decision as ‘a sign Indonesia is confident in investing in WA and will ensure we are able to capitalise on the economic, trade and business opportunities that exist with our State’s closest international neighbour’.
Citilink and Perth Airport were contacted by Daily Mail Australia.
