More than one million Qantas customers are set to receive court-approved emails and text messages over the next fortnight as Australia’s largest airline’s $105 million Flight Credit Class Action moves another step closer to payouts.
The Federal Court of Australia has ordered notices be distributed to customers who may be eligible to share in the proposed settlement, which relates to Qantas flights cancelled during the COVID-19 pandemic between 2020 and 2022.
Earlier this year, the parties agreed to settle the class action without any admission of liability by Qantas, subject to court approval.
Andrew Paull, a partner at Echo Law, which commenced a class action on behalf of Qantas customers, said the notices marked an important milestone in the process.
“We are pleased that the Federal Court has issued orders for us to contact eligible Qantas customers,” he stated.
“This is a critical step that brings us closer to distributing millions of dollars in settlement funds to customers who were issued flight credits for cancelled Qantas flights between 2020 and 2022.”
Customers who used their flight credits or later received refunds may still qualify if they meet the eligibility criteria.
“Even customers who used the flight credit they were issued, or subsequently received a refund are eligible to participate if they meet the relevant criteria,” Paull said.
“It’s proposed that a minimum of $50 will be paid to those eligible… however the amounts paid can be significantly higher, particularly in circumstances where a person had multiple bookings covered by the class action or experienced significant delays in receiving their refunds.”
Echo Law says communications will be sent progressively over the next two weeks using the contact details customers originally provided to Qantas.
Scam alert
The firms are also warning customers to remain alert to scams.
“We are making this announcement today as we’re aware that the large number of scams that take place mean some recipients of these communications may question whether the text or email… is legitimate,” said Kate Sambrook, a partner at Piper Alderman, which ran the class action together with Echo Law.
If approved by the court, payments are expected to begin before the end of the year, although the settlement process is likely to take several months to complete.
KARRYON UNPACKS: Millions in compensation are moving closer, but patience matters. Eligible travellers should wait for official communications, verify them carefully and follow the process to avoid missing out.
