Qantas Airways Faces Backlash Over Alleged Ticket Sale Practices

Australian carrier Qantas Airways has come under fire for allegedly continuing to sell tickets for flights that it knew had been canceled due to shortcomings in its systems. The airline has denied any financial motive behind this practice and claims it was a result of system issues caused by the high volume of changes to flight schedules amid shortages of aircraft and staff.

Qantas admitted to delaying the notification of flight cancellations to customers in order to avoid overwhelming its call centers and to facilitate the process of accommodating passengers on alternative flights. However, during this period, the airline's systems failed to automatically remove the canceled flights from sale.

The carrier emphasized that all customers affected by the canceled flights were offered either a refund or an alternative flight. It categorically denied any claims that it deliberately delayed acknowledging cancellations to protect its takeoff and landing slots at airports.

The alleged ticket sale practices came to light after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) took legal action against Qantas in August. According to the ACCC, more than 8,000 flights were allegedly sold even after their cancellation, with some flights remaining on sale for up to 47 days. Moreover, the commission stated that ticket holders for over 10,000 flights were not notified of cancellations for an average of 18 days, with some cases lasting as long as 48 days.

Qantas now faces the consequences of these allegations as legal proceedings unfold.