It’s been a busy week for national airline Qantas, with eyes and ears on every part of the business. Now, Qantas faces legal action from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
The ACCC will take Qantas to the Federal Court after claiming that the airline engaged in false and misleading conduct regarding flight sales.
ACCC’s focus is on the sale of flights in cases where tickets were sold in advance for flights that had already been cancelled without informing passengers between May and July 2022.
A decision to take Qantas to court comes off the back of more scrutiny around how the flag carrier has handled refunds and flight credits during the COVID-19 pandemic that saw passengers stranded, flights cancelled, and refunds not returned.
Through Qantas selling what is reported as 8000 flights that had already been cancelled, it may have very well led to more stress for passengers that would later find flights not going ahead and higher expenses as the national carrier hikes airfares up closer to the date.
The ACCC also alleges that Qantas didn’t inform its customers for over 48 days that their flights had been cancelled in the worst-case scenario, averaging around 18 days that passengers were not advised. A substantial amount of time that can cost a family thousands of dollars.
News of legal action comes following Alan Joyce, outgoing CEO, sitting in front of the cost of living committee to detail his opinions on the industry and future trajectory and back decisions to reject Qatar Airways’ bid to expand within Australia.
The threat of legal action and especially the accusations being identified by the ACCC have been labelled as incredibly concerning given the implications this would’ve had on passengers during what was already a tough enough time, especially company from a flag carrier and airline labelled as the ‘Spirit of Australia.’
It is always a problem when we don’t have any real competition. I think everyone accepted higher costs and credits instead of refunds whilst they tried to bounce back from Covid, but not it seems just like greed and price gouging.
Yup, right on…. BTW Jetstar cancelled just this morning the flights I’d booked BNE direct toDarwin some weeks ago…of course they offered a reschedule via Melbourne! For God’s sake, up to their old tricks accepting money for flights that were never going to exist – just to get you on the hook, and then to reel you in by moving you to a midnight flight that no-one ever flies on (filling an empty plane returning to base)… What crooks they are! ACCC should nail them!
Maybe Alan Joyce’s $25,000,000.00 exit bonus should be held back until all this is sorted out, passengers refunded and a decision bought down by the ACCC???? Qantas has been in decline since that man was appointed CEO