In what is hopefully not a sign of things to come for travellers as the holiday season arrives, two in five (40 per cent) respondents in a major new study by CHOICE said they experienced cancelled or delayed flights in 2023.
In the survey of almost 9,000 CHOICE supporters, the majority (63 per cent) of those who had flights cancelled said they weren’t given a reason for the cancellation, while most (65 per cent) said they found the cancellation process “somewhat or very hard”.
Nearly half (47 per cent) of those who pursued a refund received it within a month, but others faced longer wait times, with one in five (20 per cent) waiting more than six months to get their money back.
Meanwhile, the vast majority (85 per cent) of respondents who experienced a flight delay said they were not offered accommodation or meal vouchers.
“As we head into the Christmas season, a huge number of people will be relying on flights to visit family and friends,” CHOICE Senior Campaigns and Policy Advisor Bea Sherwood said.
“Unfortunately, our survey of almost 9000 people from across the country has found consumers still face a number of difficulties when dealing with the aviation industry.
“Our survey found two in five respondents had their flight cancelled or delayed in the past year – this does not bode well for the upcoming busy Christmas and New Year period when airports will be flooded with travellers flying to visit loved ones.”
Sherwood said that such negative experiences showed that conditions around air travel needed improving.
“The fact that people continue to experience such significant difficulties with air travel is simply not good enough,” she added.
“Our survey found people are feeling frustrated as flights continue to be delayed and cancelled, often without reason or sufficient warning.
“To make matters worse, many customers do not receive satisfactory refunds or compensation when their flight is delayed or cancelled.
“For those who do actually end up receiving a refund, they often have to fight tooth and nail with the airline for months.”
What CHOICE is doing
CHOICE says it has been pushing for changes in the aviation sector for a long time.
Most recently, it submitted proposals for the Federal Government’s Aviation Green Paper, alongside the Consumers’ Federation of Australia.
Its recommendations focus on creating new consumer protections specifically for airlines. These include setting up an independent ombudsman scheme for travel and tourism, implementing minimum compensation for delayed or cancelled flights, clarifying refund rights and establishing minimum standards for travel credits.
“CHOICE looks forward to the Federal Government’s final Aviation White Paper,” Sherwood said.
“We hope it will set out a clear plan to strengthen consumer protection in the aviation industry.
“Sensible reforms such as an independent ombuds scheme will ensure people no longer have to deal with the emotional, financial and logistical hardships so many travellers have experienced over the past few years.”
