Australia’s national airline, Qantas has committed to paying 120 million Australian dollars (equivalent to approximately 74 million euros) to resolve a legal case brought by the consumer watchdog Australian (ACCC) in relation to the canceled flights.
In 2023, the ACCC took legal action, accusing Qantas of engaging in “false, misleading or deceptive conduct” by selling tickets for thousands of already canceled flights without removing them from the market. Recently, both the airline and the regulator announced that they had reached an agreement.
Eighty-six thousand customers involved
The accusation concerned the sale of thousands of tickets for already canceled flights, an episode that has shaken passengers’ confidence in the reliability of the national carrier.
The case, known as the “ghost flight”, was initiated by the ACCC last August and highlighted how in some cases Qantas had continued to sell tickets for flights that had already been canceled weeks ago.
Under the settlement, Qantas is committed to compensating more than 86,000 affected customers who had booked flights two or more days after the cancellation decision. Under the compensation plan, customers who purchased tickets for flights that have already been canceled for at least two days will be entitled to a refund. Qantas has specified that domestic passengers will receive a refund of 225 Australian dollars, while for international flights the refund will be 450 Australian dollars.
The airline has expressed its willingness to respect the agreements reached and to adequately compensate customers affected by flight cancellations. Qantas also said it has taken corrective action to improve its management of cancellations and to ensure greater transparency in communications with passengers.
Qantas meanwhile investigates the violation of privacy
But Qantas’ problems don’t end there. The Australian airline has launched an investigation into a potential privacy breach related to its app, which exposed customers’ personal data to other users. Numerous passengers have reported viewing boarding passes and flight details belonging to strangers, including names and information.
Qantas said it resolved the issue about three hours after discovering it and apologized to affected customers. There are no indications of a cybersecurity incident, the company said.
Current investigations suggest that the problem was caused by a technological error, perhaps related to recent changes to the system.
Some passengers told local media that they had the option of canceling another passenger’s flight to Europe. Journalist Trevor Long told Nine News that, in 15 minutes, he managed to capture details of at least eight to 12 different people, including boarding passes.
Qantas advised users to log out and log back in to the app to try to resolve the issue and said it was not aware of any customers traveling with incorrect boarding passes.
Social media has been flooded with criticism of the airline and reports of those affected. On X, users shared screenshots of the glitch and alleged phishing attempts from accounts posing as Qantas customer service agents and asking for personal information.
