Qantas scraps COVID travel credit expiry date
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More news: Qantas says it will now remove the expiry date on COVID travel credits, amid mounting public criticism the carrier would pocket the value when their validity ceased at the end of the year. The announcement came on the same day that the ACCC said it was suing the airline over ticket sales for cancelled flights.
What they said: "Today’s announcement makes Qantas’ COVID credit policy one of the most flexible of any airline in the world, and it follows three prior deadline extensions," Qantas said in a media release.
Qantas defends flight cancellations after ACCC action
What they said: Qantas says it will examine the details of the ACCC's allegations against it over flight cancellations and respond in court.
"The period examined by the ACCC between May and July 2022 was a time of unprecedented upheaval for the entire airline industry. All airlines were experiencing well-publicised issues from a very challenging restart, with ongoing border uncertainty, industry wide staff shortages and fleet availability causing a lot of disruption," it said in a statement.
ACCC sues Qantas over ticket sales for 8000 cancelled flights
The news: The competition regulator is suing Qantas for misleading conduct, accusing Australia’s biggest airline of advertising tickets last year for flights it had already cancelled.
The numbers: The ACCC alleged that Qantas kept selling tickets on its website for more than 8000 flights scheduled to depart between May and July 2022, even after it had cancelled the flights. The airline sold tickets for an average of more than two weeks, and in some cases for up to 47 days, after the cancellation. It also alleged that for more than 10,000 flights during the same period, the airline did not notify ticketholders their flights had been cancelled for an average of 18 days, and in some cases for up to 48 days.
The context: ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said the regulator commenced the court proceedings after conducting a detailed investigation into Qantas’ flight cancellation practices. The investigation found that Qantas cancelled almost one-in-four flights between May and July last year. Qantas, which posted a $1.7 billion profit earlier this month, has been under fire over its handling of travel credits and for blocking Qatar Airways' expansion into Australia.
The sources: ACCC announcement, Qantas Announcement
