Qantas Forces Customer to Pay for Unnecessary COVID Test

A Qantas passenger is $79 out of pocket after staff refused to let her check-in without a COVID test certificate that she didn’t actually need.

The passenger, who is the wife of AFF member gidxg03, was travelling with Qantas from Melbourne to London via Darwin, with an onward connection to Ireland. At the time of travel (and still today), she would not have required a COVID-19 test to travel as she is fully vaccinated.

When this person tried to check in, the Qantas staff member advised that they required a negative COVID-19 PCR test in order to travel to Ireland. This was not correct, as the actual requirement was to either have a PCR test or a COVID-19 vaccination certificate. (Proof of recovery from COVID-19 would also suffice.)

The staff member insisted that a PCR test was required and “would not listen” when the passenger tried to tell them this. They refused to check in the passenger without sighting a PCR test.

Left with no choice, gidxg03‘s wife then paid $79 for an express PCR test from the Histopath testing centre at Melbourne Airport. But while waiting for the result, the Qantas check-in staff eventually conceded that they had got it wrong and allowed her to check in for the flight after all.

gidxg03 wrote on AFF:

My wife flew to Ireland 2 weeks ago from Melbourne. At check in she was incorrectly informed she needed a PCR test. She tried to tell them this but they would not listen so she had to queue and pay for a PCR test.

While waiting for her result she pulled up the correct info and went back to the desk and the check in staff agreed their advice was incorrect and she could board without a PCR. She asked if they would refund the test ($79) and they said she would have to request a refund from customer service.
– gidxg03, 20 February 2022

Ultimately, this passenger had to shell out $79 and waste their time queuing up for a COVID test unnecessarily. But after admitting admitting they had made a mistake, the Qantas staff at Melbourne Airport fobbed off the request for compensation, advising the passenger to contact Customer Care instead.

It is unlikely that Qantas would legally owe the passenger anything in this instance. The payment for the PCR test was made directly by the passenger to the pathology clinic, which provided the service it was paid for. But many AFF members feel that Qantas should pay compensation for what was ultimately the airline’s mistake and directly cost its customer money.

It was a cost the agent required the passenger to incur in order to board the flight. The requirement was in error, the passenger should be reimbursed for it.
– MEL_Traveller, 22 February 2022

Australian Frequent Flyer approached Qantas to ask whether compensation would be paid, and what customers in this situation should do.

Qantas did not directly answer our question about compensation, but recommended that the affected passenger should reach out to the Customer Care team to discuss the situation.

This AFF member did contact Customer Care and has so far not received a response.

Qantas advises its customers to check the latest government travel advice before flying. Perhaps the airline’s own staff should take a bit more care to do the same thing, so more of these kinds of situations can be avoided in the future.

This passenger had checked all the requirements before flying and knew exactly what was required. Short of bringing a printout from Timatic to the check-in desk, it’s not exactly clear what more she could have done in this situation.

Most people would agree that it’s not fair to leave the customer to pay for a clear-cut airline mistake, but we all know that this is often what happens. The reality is that there’s an enormous power imbalance between airlines and consumers. Airlines often get away with things they would never accept from their own customers.

Join the discussion on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum: Qantas incorrectly requiring PCR test. Any point seeking a refund?

Matt Graham

The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 70 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course!
Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil & Kazakhstan. His interests include economics, aviation & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine.

You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @AFF Editor.