A Virgin Australia flight from Brisbane diverted to Christchurch when it could not land at Dunedin International Airport yesterday because of strong winds, airport fire officer Stu Casey said.
Those passengers were taken by bus to Dunedin but a flight from Dunedin to Brisbane was to be delayed until this morning.
Mr Casey said the pilot of the jet aircraft, which was carrying 125 passengers, made three attempts to land, from about 2.45pm to 3.15pm, before giving up.
Conditions were among the windiest Mr Casey had seen in 15 years at the airport.
The incident made for "grumpy" passengers, especially when they saw two Air New Zealand jets land without incident later in the afternoon, he said.
Irate passengers Chris Valentine and Dr Kumari Fernando, who were returning to their home in Gladstone via Brisbane, were angered by the lack of support from the airline.
Airline staff were "rude", and offered no help with paying for, or finding, accommodation, Mr Valentine said.
The airline initially declined to pay transport to Dunedin, but relented with an offer of shuttles. It declined to pay for taxis.
The pair were organising a petition for passengers to sign this morning.
Virgin Australia corporate communications manager Melissa Thomson said that as the disruption was weather-related, the airline was not obliged to pay for accommodation or other costs.