The media has had a field day this week with claims by Qantas that it doesn't sell customers tickets to any particular flights, but rather a “bundle of rights” that includes alternative options in the event of cancellations.
The case against the airline brought by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), alleging that Qantas engaged in false, misleading or deceptive conduct by advertising and selling tickets for more than 8,000 flights that it had already cancelled, is currently before the courts.
The Qantas defence
Qantas has rejected the allegations, claiming that sections of consumer law that the ACCC has accused it of breaching in relation to providing a service do not apply, because the airline did not supply customers with carriage on any “particular flight”, but rather “a bundle of contractual rights”, consistent with its “promise to do its best to get consumers where they want to be on time”.
