Delays or frustrations to delivery of service can happen. Events beyond everyone's control may cause a delay, but the goal is to minimise any delay for passengers.
The most likely potential situation is that the Captain Cook Highway gets closed (sometimes for several hours) if there is a traffic accident on the road. This can impact departures from Port Douglas to Cairns, and does happen from time to time. This is one of the reasons our business will always encourage passengers to have travel insurance for delays and frustrations beyond the normal course of business. Additionally we also try to work to a target of leaving Port Douglas 2.5 to 3.0 hours before scheduled flight departure to maximise our options in case of sudden road closure, and leave earlier for international flights or flights with earlier check in like Tiger Airways. We also recommend passengers have the potential to leave earlier if needed, and be contactable on your mobile phone or email the day of your transfer if possible. For example if there is a road closure, shuttles can access Cairns via the inland highway via Mareeba which takes an extra hour (2 hours travel instead of 1 hour travel).
1. There are multiple events that could cause delays such as late or early flight arrivals. Our business always tries to monitor flights before you arrive in Cairns and before your departure from Port Douglas to help identify changes to any schedule. This includes shuttle drivers monitoring flights at Cairns airport where flights are indicated in real time as landed, on the block and then arrived. Drivers and shuttle companies liaise with drivers about flight arrivals and changes in traffic conditions.
2. Shuttle services may be affected by any pick up or drop off changes implemented by Cairns Airport, and these are beyond our control.
3. If, through circumstances not foreseeable and beyond our control, shuttles are delayed or unable to transfer you we cannot be responsible for any financial or material losses which may be incurred by passengers. This is an important reason why we recommend travel insurance for any passengers who may be affected by unforeseeable circumstances or events beyond our control which affect delivery of our service. Examples (but not limited to) of events beyond our control: accidents where the shuttle company vehicle has been directly or indirectly involved; delays caused by road closures, accidents, landslips or inundations on the Captain Cook Highway between Port Douglas and Cairns, or in and around Cairns affecting access to the airport; severe weather events or tropical cyclone; delays in traffic conditions preventing the shuttle company from getting to the airport or getting to the airport on time; and any other events of the nature described here.
4. If through circumstances beyond the control of Shuttle services unable to transfer you we will seek to arrange alternative transport for you at no additional cost.
5. For delays caused by circumstances within the control of the shuttle the maximum liability and remedy for any dispute regarding this transfer service is the cost of the transfer provided.
6. It is standard practice for shuttle companies to monitor incoming flights as planes can arrive early or late. The standard policy target is not to have passengers arriving on flights scheduled to arrive more than 20 minutes apart, on the same bus. Planes that arrive a few minutes late may mean a slightly longer wait for those passengers who have arrived on an earlier flight. We ask those passengers for patience on these occasions - as it could be your flight that is running a late or arriving early and nobody wants to be left stranded. If a severe plane delay is occurring, passengers on that flight will usually be transferred to the next available bus or we will make alternative arrangements for their transfer to minimise the waiting time at the airport. There may be an additional cost incurred.