As millions of Australians head to the airport for Christmas holiday travel, the federal government is proposing a new crackdown on airlines to protect traveller when things go wrong. The draft charter of rights would put a 14-day deadline on refunds for cancellations and establish a new independent watchdog to resolve complaints.
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00:00At packed airports, it can be a challenge to keep your Christmas cheer.
00:07Honestly, I'm so like strung out right now and I've only done like sort of a short journey.
00:13This is Christmas time. Everyone's rushing it. It's busy, busy, busy.
00:17After a bumpy few years during COVID, the aviation sector is still dealing with widespread
00:22customer frustration, with cancelled flights still tracking above pre-pandemic levels.
00:28So if they do cancel or delay a flight, it has happened to me where you sort of have
00:31to go out of pocket to find something else.
00:33For the first time, the Federal Government is proposing new rules that would put airline
00:37requirements in writing when a flight is cancelled or delayed by more than three hours.
00:43Customers should get what they pay for or they should get a refund.
00:47The Customer Rights Charter would see airlines required to pay full refunds within 14 days
00:52and help customers find a new flight, even if it's with a different airline. It would
00:57also demand airlines foot the bill for lost luggage, with a new aviation ombudsman to
01:02oversee all the changes.
01:03The most significant reforms that the aviation sector and the travelling public have ever
01:09seen.
01:10Qantas says when it cancels a flight, it already offers a range of options, including a refund,
01:15rebooking or a flight credit. But experts say the change is long overdue.
01:20It was only a matter of time. So if not now, it would have been eventual because the airlines
01:25have gotten away with quite a bit in terms of the way they treat customers.
01:31The Opposition says issuing draft guidelines so close to Christmas shows the Government
01:35isn't serious about the issue. And with public consultation on the Charter to continue until
01:41the end of February, it's unlikely legislation will be introduced to Parliament before the
01:45election, leaving the issue up in the air.