© Reuters.
Qantas Airways acknowledged on Sunday that it sold tickets for over 8,000 flights that it knew were canceled due to internal system limitations. The Australian airline is currently facing a lawsuit from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) for deceptive conduct.
The airline’s issues arose from a surge in flight schedule changes in H1 2022, triggered by staff and aircraft shortages. Qantas intentionally delayed notifying customers about cancellations in order to manage call center stress and arrange alternative flights. The company assured that all affected passengers were offered alternatives or refunds without any extra fee.
However, the ACCC accused Qantas of failing to notify more than 10,000 ticket-holders about cancellations for an average of 18 days. This delay potentially led customers to pay higher prices for alternative arrangements.
Qantas attributed its struggles to unexpected operational challenges due to supply chain issues and the COVID-19 omicron variant, along with a rapid service increase following relaxed travel restrictions.
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