has been fined $100 million for misleading customers on flight bookings over several years, with a court hearing senior managers were partly aware of the practice.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) sued the company in the Federal Court over dishonest conduct relating to the sale of tickets on cancelled flights.
The national carrier admitted misleading and deceiving customers by continuing to sell tickets for flights it had already cancelled, and delayed notifying booked customers that their flights were no longer going ahead.
Justice Helen Rofe today formally ordered Qantas to pay a $100 million penalty after the competition watchdog and the airline agreed in May on the cost.
“This is a substantial penalty, which sets a strong signal to all businesses, big or small, that they will face serious consequences if they mislead their customers,” ACCC chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said in a statement following the court orders.
Tickets were sold on already cancelled flights between May 21, 2021, and August 26, 2023, for flights scheduled between May 1, 2022, and May 10, 2024, impacting 86,597 customers on more than 70,000 flights.
