Qantas has agreed to pay AUD120 million (R1,47bn) to settle a lawsuit for selling thousands of tickets for flights it had already cancelled.
According to a press release from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), Qantas will have to pay a fine of AUD100 million (R1,22bn) for breaching Australian Consumer Law and about AUD20 million (R244m) to 86 597 customers who were sold tickets for the already-cancelled flights, dubbed 'ghost flights'. Qantas will pay AUD225 (R2 747) to domestic ticketholders and AUD450 (R5 495) to international ticketholders.
“We are pleased to have secured these admissions by Qantas that it misled its customers, and its agreement that a very significant penalty is required as a result of this conduct. The size of this proposed penalty is an important milestone in enforcing the Australian Consumer Law,” said ACCC Chair, Gina Cass-Gottlieb .
