Qantas defended itself against the canceled flight ticket sale scandal. The Australian airline claimed that its case with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is now considered a "fee for no service."
However, the air transport company didn't deny selling tickets for flights already canceled for over 48 hours. Here's what Qantas specifically explained.
Qantas Canceled Flight Ticket Sale Scandal Update
Signage is seen on display at the Qantas domestic terminal at Sydney Airport on August 25, 2022 in Sydney, Australia. Qantas Group posted a loss of $1.86 billion for the 2022 financial year.
On Monday, Oct. 30, Qantas Airways Ltd. defended itself from the accusations of the Australian competition regulator. It explained that ACCC's accusations don't constitute a "fee for no service."
"We acknowledge there were delays ... but crucially, it does not equate to Qantas obtaining a 'fee for no service' because customers were re-accommodated on other flights," said Qantas via Reuters.
The Australian airline added that it assisted passengers by offering them new flights, which are as close as possible to their original schedules. Qantas further stated that for passengers who were not satisfied with the new flights offered to them, the company provided a full refund instead.
"This is consistent with our obligations under consumer law and is what we did during the period the ACCC examined," said Qantas.
The flight service provider explained that the cancellations and delays were caused by the challenges they experienced as they tried to recover from the COVID-19 restrictions, supply chain issues, and staff shortages.
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What ACCC Accuses Qantas Of
The Qantas Australia 767 jet takes off for Wellington at Auckland Airport after it was flown across the Tasman to provide backup relief for Qantas New Zealand's domestic flights after the company went into recivership on Saturday.
According to The Guardian's recent report, ACCC decided to take Qantas to court after the watchdog accused it of advertising and selling tickets for over 8,000 canceled flights.
On Aug. 31, ACCC launched its action in the federal court, claiming that Qantas engaged in misleading, false, or deceptive conduct in advertising the flights, which were already canceled in its system.
ACCC was specifically talking about the Qantas flights between May and July 2022. The Australian competition watchdog said that during the mentioned period, Qantas canceled around 15,000 of its 66,000 international and domestic flights.
"Qantas did not notify existing ticketholders that their flights had been canceled for an average of about 18 days, and in some cases for up to 48 days," said ACCC.
ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb confirmed that they were able to complete a detailed investigation into Qantas' canceled flight sale scandal. The official said that because of the deceptive action of Qantas, tens of thousands of passengers were affected because they were fooled into purchasing canceled flight tickets.
She added that since there are vast distances between Australia's major cities, Qantas and other airlines serving the country should ensure reliable air travel services.
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