Jennifer Guy spent the duration of her flight back to Australia in tears after being confronted by what she said was the most difficult decision of her life.

On his way back to Townsville from England, he was forced to leave his 15-year-old son, Dan, at London Heathrow Airport after he became too unwell to board the plane.

Speaking to ABC in quarantine of the Hilton Sydney hotel, Guy said he and his daughter Cailyn, 11, were unable to eat or sleep on the return flight.

In her desperate state, Ms. Guy felt comfortable knowing that Dan would be taken care of by her friend who took them to the airport and offered to have her stay with him temporarily.

“I felt nauseous. It was really horrendous. I couldn’t eat. I had no appetite. I just sat on the floor at the departure gate crying,” he said.

The Federal Government recently announced these restrictions International passengers arriving in Australia will be halved on January 15 – news that worries Guy, fearing he won’t be able to reunite with his son, whom he hasn’t been apart for in a long time.

“He [Dan] felt really bad about not getting on the plane. I feel bad for leaving him. It was truly devastating and heartbreaking, “he said.

She said she had to make a decision for her daughter, who would apply to school.

“If we don’t get on the plane, we have clearly arranged a quarantine and [would have lost] the thousands of pounds we have put aside for this flight and the 11 months it took us to finally fly, “he said.

Scary journey home for underage teenagers

While Guy tries to rebook his son’s flights as soon as he has internet access, the earliest he can afford is on February 12, meaning Dan. – who is traveling as an unaccompanied minor – will be separated from mother and sister for six weeks.

But even with his flight rebooked, there is no guarantee that the next flight will not be canceled. Smart Traveler has warned against the new hat may affect flights, with the possibility of cancellation.

Ms Guy, who recently canceled her flight from Sydney back to Townsville, said she felt stuck and was has spent most of his time in quarantine seeking help.

She has contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and her airline, Qatar Airways, which have made no guarantees about her son’s flight.

Ms Guy said DFAT told her to update her details on her DFAT registration account and then contacted the Australian embassy in London, who had contacted her.

The ABC has contacted Qatar Airways and the Australian High Commission in London, but has not received a reply.

DFAT told the ABC that “the highest priority right now is assisting vulnerable Australians abroad”, but said it was unable to comment on individual cases due to privacy obligations.

The government has helped more than 38,800 Australians return since March last year, DFAT added.

Having to pay an extra 4,000 pounds ($ 7,050) to reschedule his son’s flight was already a major blow to his budget.

Had she booked her son to fly early, she would have paid up to 8,000 pounds ($ 14,101) for a one-way ticket. – the price he said he couldn’t afford.

Ms Guy and her children were originally booked to fly back to Australia permanently on March 22, five days after DFAT urged Australians overseas to return home.

He rented out his house and left his job in England, where he has lived for the past 25 years, to move back.

But the return journey was far from easy.

He has faced up to eight flights canceled and changed since then and has been sidelined by airlines that prioritize higher paying business class passengers, leaving his family living in temporary accommodation in Guilford, southwest London, staying from week to week.

Even though charter flights may offer an opportunity to get home early, he says he doesn’t have extra money to cover expenses, although DFAT does offer grants and loans to help communities cover some of the costs one way flights to Australia.

Calls for airline accountability for skyrocketing ticket prices

Travel expert Craig Fyfe, who has more than 30 years of experience in the travel industry, said airlines tend to prioritize passengers who “deliver the best results”.

“If you can only carry one passenger and you have a choice between a business class passenger who flies regularly, or the only passenger who has purchased a promotional economy fare at a deep discount, then the airline will take care of business class passengers,” he said.

He said when airlines are notified by the Government how many passengers they can carry, they will then offer seats to business class passengers, high-income economy class passengers and then whoever is left.

The new closures mean there are fewer seats available for Australians returning from overseas, he said.

But Simon Westaway of the Australian Tourism Industry Council said airlines had not taken advantage of customers during the new coronavirus action.

He said airlines still serving Australia have very limited seat capacities, meaning their ticket prices could be higher to cover their operating costs, as the market is already operating about 99 percent below its normal capacity.

He said travel will be affected for some time, but there will likely be a return of flights and a steady flow of passengers in 2022 and 2023.

“This will be in line with IATA predictions or more normal international flight arrangements in the 2023 or 2024 timeframe,” Westaway said.

But Ms Guy said she was fed up of chasing airlines and wanted accountability.

If his son’s flight back home in February was canceled this time, Guy said he might have to travel back to London to be with him.

“We should probably go back. What might happen is we just end up here [in Australia] for a while, and we have to go back to England, “he said.

“I really hope that won’t be the case and that I will get my son well.”