Class action against Jetstar over COVID refunds

[Mattg]

Jetstar is facing a class action for allegedly failing to refund customers with cancelled flights during the COVID era, despite being required to do so.

Jetstar faces class action lawsuit over allegedly failing to refund cancelled Covid-era flights

Lawyers allege the airline was obliged to refund payments to customers whose flights were cancelled during the pandemic, but failed to do so

www.theguardian.com

Jetstar Airways is facing a class action lawsuit over allegations it did not refund payments to customers whose flights were cancelled during the Covid pandemic, with lawyers claiming the airline was legally obliged to do so.

The legal action is headed by Echo Law, which served the claim on the Qantas-owned airline on Wednesday morning, the law firm said in a statement.

Echo partner Andrew Paull claimed the airline had put “profits ahead of its customers’ interests”.

“Jetstar customers were pushed into holding hundreds of millions of dollars in restricted travel credits, even though this wasn’t what those customers had agreed to as part of the airline’s terms and conditions,” Paull said.

 

[clifford]

Sounds like Jetstar (Qantas).

 

[justinbrett]

JQ did give refunds for Covid cancellations (I had heaps) but you had to ask for it, it wasn’t offered by default. I think that was the practice of most airlines at the time and why ACCC got QF and VA to extend Covid credits expiry.

Cancelling when the flight still went ahead is another matter.

 

[Mwenenzi]

abc.net.au link Jetstar faces class action over cancelled flights during the COVID-19 pandemic

A class action against Jetstar on behalf of hundreds of thousands of customers whose flights were cancelled during the COVID pandemic has been lodged in the Federal Court.

The claim alleges Jetstar failed to refund money that customers had paid for flights, despite being legally obliged to do so. Echo Law, which commenced the class action, is the same law firm that commenced a separate class action against Qantas in 2023 over that airline's COVID credits program, which is ongoing.
<snip>
Mr Paull alleged that, like Qantas, Jetstar breached the law by failing to be transparent and by failing to refund its customers.

"It held onto ordinary Australians' money and expected customers to just be happy with credits, which we allege it was not entitled to do. It now needs to be held accountable and refund that money with interest," he said. "While customers sat at home not able to enjoy the benefits of flying, Jetstar enjoyed the significant financial benefits of holding hundreds of millions of dollars in customer payments including interest and reduced borrowing costs.

"It is unfair, and we allege unlawful, that Jetstar profited from holding onto its customers' money for flights it had cancelled.
<snip>

Expect this will be a good earner for the lawyers