Qantas boss admits 'we let our customers down' over cancelled flights

The boss of Qantas Airways has acknowledged the “anger” of thousands of customers who were sold tickets for already-cancelled flights.

“Everyone feels pain at the anger,” Qantas chief executive Vanessa Hudson told CNN’s Richard Quest in an exclusive interview at an airline industry conference in Dubai this week.

“It’s not just me; (it’s) 25,000 people that work for us as well. Because not only (did) we let our customers down, we let our people down.”

Last August, the ACCC accused Qantas in a lawsuit of selling tickets for more than 8000 flights that the airline had already cancelled — affecting more than 86,000 customers.

The remaining $100 million is a fine — the biggest ever for an Australian airline, according to Reuters.

Hudson, who took the helm at Qantas in September, soon after the lawsuit was filed, told Quest the airline is focused on repairing its relationships with passengers and staff.

She has “spent a lot of time listening” to the concerns of customers and staff, she said.

The airline is investing in improving the in-flight experience, including the food it serves and the Wi-Fi service it offers.

Qantas has since seen a “customer satisfaction rebound,” Hudson said, though she did not elaborate.

ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb last month said the airline’s conduct had been “egregious and unacceptable”.

Qantas will repay customers who were affected through to the end of August 2023, “when steps were taken to ensure that processing of cancellation decisions occurred promptly”.

More than 86,000 customers who made a booking on a flight two or more days after the cancellation decision will be compensated.

Payments will range from $225 for domestic or trans-Tasman flights, to $450 for other international flights. This is on top of any refund or alternative flight they might have been offered already.

Payments will be made through an online portal run by Deloitte, with affected customers to be emailed about how to make a claim from June.

The ACCC is no longer proceeding with its claims against Qantas about wrongful acceptance of payment, including any allegation that Qantas received payment for a service it did not, and had no intention of, providing.