New aviation industry ombudsman & customer rights charter in Australia

[justinbrett]

Interesting the party of free enterprise wanting to intervene on market forces at work.

Well the party doesn’t.

It’s just that one particular shadow minister who has some strong opinions on QF. Still holds chairman’s lounge membership though.

 

[Blackadder]

Nationals leader pours cold water on threat to break up Qantas and Jetstar

Nationals Leader David Littleproud has poured cold water on his colleague's proposal to use the threat of break-up powers against Qantas and Jetstar.

www.abc.net.au

Easy to threaten when your chairman's lounge isnt at risk

And they did nothing about it when in Government.
Political opportunism 101

 

[Quickstatus]

Because it’s declared, it’s open and transparent.

But still a conflict of interest IMO.

 

[justinbrett]

But still a conflict of interest IMO.

It’s not working with said shadow minister!

 

[openseat]

Minister Catherine King called the divestment “a dangerous thought bubble”. What a hoot. Doubling down on the QF protection racket.
The only bubble when it comes to protecting Australian consumers is the one between the minister’s ears.

 

[kelvedon]

FT reporting that even the US is now considering a EU/UK 261 type compensation scheme.

U.S. Considering EC261-Type Compensation Rule

The Dallas Morning News reports the Biden administration is working on a proposed rule which would require carriers based in America to provide similar recourse for delayed passengers. Rule Would Require Cash Compensation on Top of Food and Hotel Vouchers During an invite-only meeting, White...

www.flyertalk.com

 

[Big John]

FT reporting that even the US is now considering a EU/UK 261 type compensation scheme.

U.S. Considering EC261-Type Compensation Rule

The Dallas Morning News reports the Biden administration is working on a proposed rule which would require carriers based in America to provide similar recourse for delayed passengers. Rule Would Require Cash Compensation on Top of Food and Hotel Vouchers During an invite-only meeting, White...

www.flyertalk.com

As per usual, the rest of the world is ahead of Australia !

 

[Seat0B]

How is this not a conflict of interest?

CLEO here - it is a conflict of interest.

Post automatically merged: Sep 13, 2024

t’s a conflict of interest if it’s not declared

It’s a conflict whether declared or not.

The test is whether the private interest is sufficient to distort or influence the exercise of public duty.

 

[oz_mark]

CLEO here - it is a conflict of interest.

Post automatically merged: Sep 13, 2024

It’s a conflict whether declared or not.

The test is whether the private interest is sufficient to distort or influence the exercise of public duty.

Indeed. And then it comes down to how you manage the conflict of interest.

 

[Mattg]

Indeed. And then it comes down to how you manage the conflict of interest.

And we have no idea how the minister, nor the secretaries in her department, have managed this conflict of interest, because they haven't given a single explanation or reason as to why a compensation scheme is not mentioned in the White Paper.

 

[CaptJCool]

And we have no idea how the minister, nor the secretaries in her department, have managed this conflict of interest, because they haven't given a single explanation or reason as to why a compensation scheme is not mentioned in the White Paper.

Well she has now

Delayed air travellers may get compensation under rules Albanese government proposes

Catherine King says new charter may force airlines to compensate you if they bump you off a flight, delay your flight, or cancel it

www.theguardian.com

 

[Mattg]

Well she has now

Delayed air travellers may get compensation under rules Albanese government proposes

Catherine King says new charter may force airlines to compensate you if they bump you off a flight, delay your flight, or cancel it

www.theguardian.com

From what I can tell from this interview, she doesn't want a compensation scheme because it could increase the price of airline tickets?

That line is straight out of the airline playbook and it hasn't really been proven to be true elsewhere. (In any case, if it did increase ticket prices, it would probably still be worth it because any costs that the scheme adds to airlines would go back to passengers who've been messed around by them and could have incurred real financial losses as a result.)

This still doesn't really give any insight into how she's managing the obvious conflict of interest of having Chairmans Lounge membership while also being the minister in charge of aviation.

 

[LondonAussie]

I don't understand the obsession with compensation and ignoring the more important and valuable aspect of EU/UK regulations in event of delay or cancellation:
- reimbursement of all additional expenses, including transport, accommodation and meals
- choice to be re-booked on another airline to get you to your destination sooner
- choice for a full refund AND a return flight to your origin if mid-booking,

This applies to all delays and cancellations, whereas compensation only applies in the absence of extraordinary circumstances.

 

[Mattg]

I don't understand the obsession with compensation and ignoring the more important and valuable aspect of EU/UK regulations in event of delay or cancellation:
- reimbursement of all additional expenses, including transport, accommodation and meals
- choice to be re-booked on another airline to get you to your destination sooner
- choice for a full refund AND a return flight to your origin if mid-booking,

This applies to all delays and cancellations, whereas compensation only applies in the absence of extraordinary circumstances.

All of the things you've described would be most welcome!

 

[papeto]

Here is the link to the proposed charter for customer flights. No EU261 scheme, so not sure what value it adds other than a feel good statement. It will take years and lots of cases to define what is meant by these statements.

Aviation Customer Rights Charter out for consultation

The Albanese Government is working hard to get Australian travellers a better deal, releasing the draft Aviation Customer Rights Charter today for publ

minister.infrastructure.gov.au

Here is direct link to the proposed charter

https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/aviation-customer-rights-charter-consultation-paper.pdf

 

[kpc]

My pet hate is Qf and JQ allow only $200 per night for hotel accommodation..try getting a hotel room for that at the last minute at an airport location!

 

[eastwest101]

My pet hate is Qf and JQ allow only $200 per night for hotel accommodation..try getting a hotel room for that at the last minute at an airport location!

I know this has been well documented, but I have recently had luck with a successful claim overnight as near to SYD airport as I could for around $360 so it seems that Qantas at least has got some discretion about the costs for accommodation for pax affected by delays and flight cancellations. They surely must know that bad weather in SYD and a bunch of flight cancellations will routinely/inevitably send hotel prices over $200 per night anywhere near Mascot airport.

I wouldn't fancy the same chances of success with Jetstar though.

That will be one for the submissions though that the cost of reimbursement needs to reflect the conditions at the time adequately. And it should be automatic because airlines now have sufficient software to see flight delays' effects on transit passengers.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Here is the link to the proposed charter for customer flights. No EU261 scheme, so not sure what value it adds other than a feel good statement. It will take years and lots of cases to define what is meant by these statements.

Aviation Customer Rights Charter out for consultation

The Albanese Government is working hard to get Australian travellers a better deal, releasing the draft Aviation Customer Rights Charter today for publ

minister.infrastructure.gov.au

Here is direct link to the proposed charter

https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/aviation-customer-rights-charter-consultation-paper.pdf

Agree. Basically nothing has changed! Or needs to be changed by aussie airlines.

The only thing I can see, really, is that if your flight is delayed or cancelled, and you book on another carrier, your original fare must be refunded. Note… your new fare isn’t covered, just the airline must refund the previous one you didn’t take.

But essentially that’s no different to ACL.

Like that the passenger must have access to customer service. But it doesn’t say how long the queue time has to be! You could be waiting for 2 hours and not be in breach of the charter.

The ridiculous part? They want simple and fair contracts of carriage. I’m not sure that’s even possible! Plain English, yes, but you cant really simplify of lessen the amount of stuff that’s in there. For example there’s whole sections on the rights conferred by EC261 and the US and Canadian DOTs (or equivalent).

Anyway… much ado about nothing!

But again, given the frequency of flights in Australia between the major cities… it’s unlikely delay compensation a la 261 would even kick in. Internationally it might have done.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

ah, so… this quote for the Transport Minister says it all:

"The customer charter or rights will make clear what has been hiding in fine print for far too long. It will give Australians greater certainty about what they can expect when flying in Australia and where to go if these conditions are not met."

The charter is nothing new, it’s all there in the contract of carriage. I guess those of us who already know these protections exist will find nothing new, This is about informing and educating those who don’t know.

Which I guess makes some sense. Most of the public wouldn’t know if a flight is no longer suitable that they could get a refund under ACL. Or that the airline will rebook them free of charge on another flight if theirs is cancelled or delayed.

 

[SydneySwan]

Another weak announcement from Ms King which promises nothing new. If anything it just makes life easier for airlines to cancel your flight and refund you and leave you paying multiples of your original flight to find an alternative. It should be mandatory for airlines to rebook you on a suitable alternative at their expense, not yours.