Never ever got an email with that pdf linked. I assume that’s the one they refer to but I never got it (checked spam folder etc)
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Any affected Bonza consumers should instigate a chargeback. Such approach is recommended by AFCA and the ACCC:
Factsheet – Chargebacks | Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA).
Whether the chargeback is successful will only be know after it is processed by the card issuer. There is a chance it will be successful, hence not instigating a chargeback could limit available options to pursue to potentially recover funds.
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Continuing, this is what Chadwick says about refunds …
Section 7.
Follow that and you’ll get what your husband found … nothing, a big circle.
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The issue with that approach is not all do. It might need to be mandated as an option to be provided by all insurers. Consumers can then opt out if they choose. For the travel insurers and consumers though the risk and cost of choosing more reliable is likely to be used to cover the liabilities arising from the poorer choices.
Hence it would seem more cost effective to have the cost applied to the providers directly. Those who can convince the insurer they are better managed and lower risk pay less. Those who cannot pay more or those who fail to get cover cannot trade.
Insurance which ever way it is set up is an added cost and if privately funded carries a profit margin plus risk ratings. Hence why a trust account based system makes more sense as it has only a basic administrative overhead. Similar principles apply to rental agreements where they require the bond to be paid into trust.
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This week hubby received 4 emails (two for each leg of flight) from not-so-Bonza airlines. They confirmed his tickets were cancelled and all flights ‘temporarily suspended’ to 29th May and that ‘further communications will be issued regarding funds paid for flight.’ Oh, and that they were sorry… 
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Yes, I have been affected. Also I had travel insurance through Budget Insurance. They just turned their noses up at the claim!
Welcome to the community @ajs_Choice
Noted the turn of phrase is expressing how you feel you were treated. What exactly did Budget say and did they explain why they would not consider a claim?
All insurance policies include a detailed PDS. This indicates what items are covered, which are excluded and any attached conditions. The policy documents are typically long and require careful reading. Where looking at the policy issued to you does it indicates you are covered for collapse of the carrier - Bonza?
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It is likely that if your policy includes service provider insolvency, that the claim has not been successful as Bonza is currently in voluntary administration. If the administrators can’t find a buyer for the airline, then Bonza will become insolvent and wound up. Finding a buyer has recently been extended for another 2 months, so any insure claim is unlikely to be successful until the outcome of the voluntary administration process is known.
Insurers won’t support a claim as there is potential that Bonza may be sold and restarted, with past liabilities resolved in the sale agreement - similar to what happened to Virgin Australia in 2020.
Budget Insurance should possibly have left the claim open until the voluntary administration process was known. It is however in their interest to reject a claim now, as it might be a disincentive of another claim to be lodged in the future.
ABC has recently published a story about the impacts of the process on Bonza staff. Until insolvency occurs and Bonza is wound up, they are also in limbo:
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Charged $80 plus extra flight charges to rebook their cancelled return flight from Townsville to Gold Coast. Never going to get that back.
Got 129 pages of legal processes yesterday. Short story, Bonza has been trading whilst insolvent. Chadwick wants over $1 million for thier work that shows Bonza only had $118000 in its coffers. Royal comission looming…this is going to be a very long wait for 1cent in the $$…if we’re lucky? Byebye to $488 for me.
Welcome to the community David67.
A political reality or wishful thinking?
One might want to know where all the customers cash and owners/investors money has gone. Australia was once famous for permitting doubtful businesses dealings to enable value to be transferred out before the business folded leaving creditors including the Aust Govt (ATO) to feel the loss. Some argue it’s a form of legally permitted theft.
In the example of the Bonza collapse we’re all losers. The ATO because of the tax not paid on salaries and wages still owing. The employees and the future retirement costs to the Govt of super not accumulated. That super entitlements can be paid more than 3 months in arrears to an employees fund, we may find out that ex employees are owed far more than wages?
The cash that has gone into the business has gone somewhere? An RC is one way of looking for answers, sharing them with the public, and ensuring more than the presently absent political attention. If only in passing.
As a Royal Commission is only about inquiries into Commonwealth or state responsibilites and a failure thereof, that is not going to happen.
This was a failure of a majority US owned company operating in Australia being put into voluntary administration. By the directors. Not court ordered administration by creditors. So forget anything from the ASIC except for a slap on the wrist, if that.
Unsecured creditors will most likely get nothing after liquidation.
The employees can claim on the Gov Fair Entitlement Guarantee.
I don’t see any reason to hold a Royal Commission, normal legal processes are perfectly capable of dealing with the matter. This is not an unusual type of event. Creditors will not like the outcome but there is nothing a RC could do about that.
It provides limited financial assistance.
In doing so does it not add those costs to the bill the Australian Govt must fund, and ultimately us tax payers?
Requires someone to remember where they last put the feather down. 
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