Passengers left stranded at Dunedin International Airport on Sunday night because of flight cancellations were yesterday critical of Air New Zealand.
Kylie Clark, of Christchurch, was one of about 100 Air New Zealand and Pacific Blue passengers who spent the night huddled under donated blankets in various locations throughout the airport.
Sitting under a duvet on the upstairs floor of the terminal on which she had slept, Ms Clark yesterday morning said she was "gutted" to have received no advice and no food vouchers after her flight - scheduled to leave at 4.50pm on Sunday - was cancelled.
"We boarded the plane and they de-iced it and we waited while two passengers were called," she said.
"Eventually, they decided to take their luggage off and then announced it was too icy and asked us to leave the plane."
She said there had been no contact from the airline yesterday morning and airport announcements had related only to yesterday's cancelled flights, with none directed to passengers forced to stay overnight in the terminal.
"I'm a bit miffy - we just want to know what's going on."
Another couple, from Auckland, who spent the night in the terminal were similarly critical.
The airline's announcements to passengers over the PA system said only "we suggest you make your way home" - "and that's what we were trying to do in the first place".
They said they thought Air New Zealand may have opened its Koru Club to all passengers but it was closed about 7pm on Sunday. They were annoyed to overhear one passenger say they would now have to join "the great unwashed".
Australian visitors Clair Dean and Geoff Gilbert, who were scheduled to leave for Brisbane on a Pacific Blue flight on Sunday, said they had received better service, including meal vouchers, from their airline.
"And we had a couple of bottles of wine which helped us sleep," Ms Dean said.
They were grateful to the Red Cross for dropping off blankets and duvets.
After two weeks' travelling the South Island, the smiling pair joked that while Milford Sound was their favourite place, the "Otago Museum section of the Dunedin airport" was a close second.
An Air New Zealand spokesman said 48 Air New Zealand passengers were stranded at the airport after their flight was cancelled and roads were closed.
"Food vouchers were available for passengers, so I am unsure as to why the individual you spoke to did not receive theirs.
However, there was clearly a "communications breakdown" yesterday morning and the airline was looking into why that happened, he said.
All Air New Zealand passengers were placed on other flights from Dunedin yesterday.
Dunedin International Airport chief executive John McCall said most of the stranded passengers flew out of Dunedin yesterday, although a few remained.
He was not aware of what was happening with those people, or their flights.
About three or four flights had come in and out of Dunedin yesterday, with problems at other airports around the country causing cancellations.
Several of this morning's flights were cancelled last night because Dunedin-bound planes could not leave other airports, meaning there would be no aircraft overnighting in Dunedin.
He advised travellers to contact their airline before going to the airport.
