Editing Qantas (section)

===Complaints===

In April 2022, consumer advocacy group [[Choice (Australian consumer organisation)|Choice]] lodged a complaint with the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) concerning the airline's flight credit policy for cancelled flights during the COVID-19 pandemic, which they alleged was "unfair" and saw customers issued with flight vouchers with short expiration dates that became unusable due to ongoing travel restrictions.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-12/accc-investigates-qantas-flight-credit-policy/100983274|first=Samuel|last=Yang|title=ACCC investigates allegation Qantas's flight credit policy 'unfair and unworkable'|date=11 April 2022|website=ABC.net.au|access-date=22 August 2023}}</ref> Although more than $1 billion in credit had been claimed by Qantas and Jetstar customers by August 2023, that month the airline was hit with a class action lawsuit by customers still seeking refunds and compensation for flights cancelled during the pandemic.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-21/qantas-hit-with-lawsuit-for-holding-over-1b-credits/102755916|title=Qantas faces class action lawsuit for not refunding tickets for COVID cancelled flights|date=21 August 2023|website=ABC.net.au|access-date=22 August 2023}}</ref>

In September 2022, ''[[Four Corners (Australian TV program)|Four Corners]]'' broadcast an episode titled "The Inside Story Of the Chaos at Qantas", detailing passenger service issues and cost cutting by the company.<ref>{{Cite episode|title=Flight Risk: The inside story of the chaos at Qantas|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-05/flight-risk:-the-inside-story-of-the-chaos-at/14044048|access-date=19 June 2023|series=Four Corners|first=Stephen|last=Long|network=ABC News|date=5 September 2022|minutes=44|language=English}}</ref>

During an August 2023 [[Australian Senate]] committee hearing concerning the rising cost of living, CEO Alan Joyce was accused of "misleading the Australian public" with the airline's flight credits scheme, among other issues with the carrier.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-28/qantas-boss-alan-joyce-senate-committee-flight-credits-jetstar/102784168|title=Qantas accused of 'misleading the Australian public' after confirming $100 million worth of flight credits owed to Jetstar customers|date=28 August 2023|website=ABC.net.au|access-date=28 August 2023}}</ref> On 31 August 2023, Qantas bowed to public pressure and announced the removal of expiry dates for flight credits issued up to 30 September 2021 as well as giving customers the option of a refund instead, with Joyce admitting in a statement that the airline's implementation of the scheme led to "people [losing] faith in the process".<ref name="accc23" />

In March 2023, a report by the ACCC found that the airline was the subject of almost 2,000 complaints over the previous year, with more than 1,300 complaints relating to flight cancellations. The report found that complaints about the airline had risen by 70% from the previous year, and that the ACCC receives more complaints about Qantas than any other business.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theage.com.au/business/companies/qantas-complaints-rise-by-70-per-cent-as-accc-calls-on-carriers-to-reduce-fares-20230308-p5cqdg.html|first=Amelia|last=McGuire|title=Qantas complaints rise by 70 per cent, as ACCC calls on carriers to reduce fares|date=8 March 2023|website=The Age|access-date=8 March 2023}}</ref><ref name="accc23" /> In August 2023, the ACCC launched legal action against the airline in the [[Federal Court of Australia]] for allegedly continuing to advertise and sell tickets for more than 8,000 flights scheduled between May and July 2022 that were already cancelled, as well as delaying informing existing ticketholders of these cancellations.<ref name="accc23">{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-31/qantas-sued-by-accc-for-selling-tickets-to-cancelled-flights/102797592|title=Qantas to remove expiry date on travel credits after public backlash, while ACCC accuses airline of selling tickets to cancelled flights|date=31 August 2023|website=ABC.net.au|access-date=31 August 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/accc-takes-court-action-alleging-qantas-advertised-flights-it-had-already-cancelled|title=ACCC takes court action alleging Qantas advertised flights it had already cancelled|date=31 August 2023|website=ACCC.gov.au|access-date=31 August 2023}}</ref>

Court filings showed that Qantas carried on selling tickets on 71,000 flights due to take off between May 2022 and May 2024 after deciding to scrap them. About 87,000 people bought tickets on the fake departures or were rebooked onto them. As many as 884,000 customers were not informed swiftly that they were down to travel on flights that had already been cancelled. The allegations led to the premature departure of Chief Executive Officer Alan Joyce in 2023.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Bloomberg |first=Angus Whitley / |date=2024-09-26 |title=Qantas Airways' 'Ghost Flights' Scandal Deceived Nearly a Million Customers |url=https://time.com/7024604/qantas-ghost-flight-scandal-lawsuit/ |access-date=2024-11-08 |magazine=TIME |language=en}}</ref>

Qantas settled the lawsuit in May 2024, agreeing to pay A$120 million ($82 million) in fines and compensation for selling tickets on flights it had already decided to cancel.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-05-06 |title=Qantas 'ghost flights': Airline agrees payouts to settle lawsuit |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd1qjp0py0lo |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> On 30 June 2024, Qantas began contacting customers to offer them compensation. Customers who booked Qantas flights scheduled to depart between 1 May 2022 and 10 May 2024 that had already been cancelled will receive $225 for domestic and trans-Tasman flights, and $450 for international flights, on top of any other refund or alternative flight already offered.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Visontay |first1=Elias |last2=Transport |first2=Elias Visontay |last3=reporter |first3=urban affairs |date=2024-05-06 |title=Qantas to pay $120m for allegedly selling tickets to flights that had already been cancelled |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/article/2024/may/06/qantas-accc-fine-slot-hoarding-settlement |access-date=2024-11-08 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>