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It’s one of the biggest political bunfights in Australia’s aviation sector – should the government force airlines to compensate passengers for delays within their control, above and beyond the usual refunds or flight credits?
If you listen to the airlines, the answer is a resounding no, with representatives at the Senate committee hearings on proposed legislation warning it could drive up costs and lead to more delays and cancellations.
But according to customer advocate Adam Glezer of Consumer Champion, that’s not the case – and, in fact, there are some hidden upsides in the idea for industry as well as consumers.
On this week’s Australian Aviation Podcast, Jake Nelson speaks with Glezer about his work and why he supports more robust passenger protections.
You can watch the episode on YouTube above and on your device by clicking here. You can also listen to the audio-only version by using the podcast player below.
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says:I am left wondering if the advocate is more interested in the “Compensation” rather than the refund. I do accept that in the case of any domestic airline delay, the customer’s needs should be accommodated if possible ie, next available flight even on a competitors airline AND, that airline should accept the flight coupon/document at face value; – it is a 2 way street here. If the delay is/was out of the airlines control and accomodation is required then that is why one should have travel insurance. On the other hand, in these situations, such a delay would most likely involve in excess of 150 pax and frankly I would have difficulty in accepting that an alternative flight. aircraft and crew could not be arranged these days within an 8 hour period. International delays are a far different problem.