A draft aviation customer rights charter has been released by the federal government, but without the inclusion of an EU-style compensation scheme which provides cash back to customers.
The potential revision was made public on Sunday, outlining a compensation scheme that would see airlines pay passengers whose flights are delayed or cancelled, noticeably absent.
A similar scheme already exists in the European Union and advocacy groups had been pushing for Australia to adopt one, however Qantas and other major airlines pushed back heavily on the proposition, saying it would force them to pre-empt costs and increase air fares.
In Europe, passengers whose flights arrive at their final destination delayed more than three hours are entitled to between €250 ($485 AUD) and €600 ($1165 AUD), and even longer delays seeing passengers can opt to be fully refunded within seven days.
Advocates for bringing the same compensation to Australia have argued that the measures could help improve airlines with poor time performances and discourage airlines from deliberately scheduling and cancelling flights to keep their take-off and landing slots.
The draft charter instead includes a proposed list of legal entitlements for passengers that airlines will adhere to or face penalties, stating that customers have a right to “prompt and fair remedies and support during and after cancellations, delays and disruptions”.
As part of this list, if a flight is disrupted or delayed for more than three hours for reasons within the airline’s control, customers should receive assistance to rebook their flight free of cost, or cancel and receive a full refund for the ticket, as well as a refund on meals, accommodations and transfer costs from the delay.
Airlines and their customer service representatives must offer “accurate, timely and accessible information and customer service” to passengers, including a call-back option to avoid long waiting periods.
The draft also outlined that airlines and airports will be made to protect the personal information of passengers collected during booking and improve their complaints handling processes, with a target of 24 hours for acknowledgment and 30 days for resolution.
Stats show Qantas took an average of 97 days to solve customer complaints in 2023.