Over $800 million in Qantas flight credits, given out instead of refunds when COVID-19 forced all international and domestic travel to stop, have gone unused by customers the company says.
The credits were given to any customers who had cancelled flights or changed travel plans due to the pandemic, until the end of October 2021.
These are due to expire on December 31, 2023.
Consumer group Choice has asked the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) for a formal investigation into the matter.
However, the airline argues they’ve been reminding customers to use their points and it’s down to them.
“We are sending an email every month to remind you you have a credit,” Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said.
“We also are going to be launching a website like ‘find your super’ that says ‘find your credit’.”
Dean Long from the Australian Federation of Travel Agents says the issue is not customers forgetting to use their points.
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“The increase in airfares is making it harder for Australians to use those credits he said.”
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“People have significantly less buying power with the same amount of money that they used before the pandemic”
“It would be a really great PR move for Qantas to be able to issue refunds”
This week, Qantas reported a $1.4 billion gross income for the first half of the financial year, following a $7 billion loss over the pandemic.
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