AUSTRALIA’s National Airline settled a regulator lawsuit by paying millions of dollars in penalty following the sale of thousands of tickets that were already cancelled.
In August 2023, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) launched legal proceedings against Qantas for advertising and selling thousands of tickets for domestic and international flights that had already been canceled.
The controversy stemmed from allegations that the airline sold approximately 8,000 tickets that were canceled between May and July 2022.
The so-called ‘ghost flights’ fiasco put the national carrier under the spotlight and its reputation on the line.
Both parties reached an agreement to settle the lawsuit on Monday.
As part of the agreement, Qantas will pay a fine worth A$100 million and an additional A$20 million to compensate more than 86,000 customers who booked tickets on the so-called “ghost flights.”
Qantas decided to make a settlement rather than defend itself in a lawsuit it had previously vowed to fight.
