Wednesday 21 September 2022 02:59 AM Calls for guaranteed compensation from Australian airlines for delayed flights trends now

Calls are mounting for airlines to guarantee compensation for travellers who have their flights cancelled or delayed.

Australian airports have been in chaos for months with far more passengers than usual told their flights were rescheduled or cancelled altogether.

Staff shortages, the Covid pandemic, technical issues, and the weather were all blamed for the disruptions to many Australians' travel plans.

Individual airlines decide what compensation will be given to those who had their flights disrupted and whether they are eligible for meal and accomodation vouchers.

But consumer advocates argued Australia should adopt laws used in Europe and the UK that apply to all airlines.

'The problem with the existing travel protections is that they don't mandate things like telling people what they're entitled to, or when they're entitled to a refund,' Jodie Bird, a travel expert from Choice, told the ABC.

'We're really falling behind countries like the UK, the EU, even New Zealand, or even in countries like Indonesia, where we've seen that there's a level of compensation that we just don't have in Australian consumer law.'

Qantas provides meal vouchers to passengers who had their flights delayed by at least two hours.

Passengers waiting overnight are given a $30 meal voucher per person and $200 for accommodation per room.

For those whose flights have been delayed by more than 12 hours, they will be given a $50 meal voucher per person, and $200 for accommodation per room.

These apply to situations where the airline is at fault.

Jetstar offers meal vouchers

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