A new bill has been introduced into the Senate, arguing that airlines should pay customers for cancellations and delays.
The Airline Passenger Protections (Pay on Delay) Private Senators Bill was introduced by Coalition senators Bridget McKenzie and Dean Smith earlier this year and is currently being debated.
“Australians deserve an aviation industry where planes take-off and arrive on time, and their bags arrive with them,” the senators said earlier this year.
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“In the light of the Qantas ticketing scandal and alleged ghost flights, the Pay on Delay Bill is designed to clean up Australia’s airline industry through ensuring concrete protections for passengers to, from and within Australia and its territories in the event of flight delays, cancellations, or denials of boarding.”
The bill was debated on Wednesday, with coalition senators saying it will “put the focus back on the consumers”.
“Consumers are absolutely fed up with higher airfares, coupled with declining service standards and increasing interruptions,” McKenzie said.
“The ACCC’s latest airline report showed service reliability remains below long-term industry averages, as flight cancellations and delays remain higher than they should be.
“Nearly 30 per cent of flights were either cancelled or delayed across the January holiday period, showing there has been no improvement in the on-time performance over the past 12 months.
“That’s according to data released by the Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics.
“In the EU, the UK and Canada, common rules of compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding, flight cancellations or long delays have been established.
“This comprehensive framework sets a benchmark, ensuring that passengers are not left stranded or out of pocket due to disruptions within the control of airlines.
“In contrast, Australia’s approach to consumer protections in the airline industry, while robust in theory, have often fallen short in practice.
“The Airline Customer Advocate’s annual report highlights a trend of increasing complaints, with issues ranging from flight cancellations and delays to mishandled baggage and disputes over refunds.
“This trend underscores a growing disconnect between consumer expectations and the services delivered by our airlines.”
‘Sophisticated approach’ required
During the debate, Coalition senators accused the Labor government of failing to protect customers and favouring the Qantas and Virgin duopoly.
Senator Tony Sheldon maintained the Labor government “is very supportive of ensuring businesses are accountable to their workers and their customers”.
Sheldon said a safe and secure skies commission, as proposed by the Transport Workers Union, is “an admirable suggestion”.
“It would be an independent body empowered to keep skilled workers in jobs and to lift standards by holding airports and airlines to account for safety and fairness,” he said.
“The industry needs genuine reform,” Sheldon conceded, but said it “requires a sophisticated approach”.
“Not because I’m opposed to any suggestions, but because this is a stunt of a suggestion taken without consideration of all the other impacts on policy that’s needed in this area,” he said.
“A white paper going to the strategies, the implementation, the impacts of all those reports that for nine years those opposite have sat on needs to be properly considered and properly weighed up in the interests of all the travelling public and the Australian economy, because the aviation industry deserves something better than a political stunt.”