Choice launches complane.com.au, to make it easier for customers to log their complaint and send it to an airline to get compensation

AIRLINES should be forced to pay compensation for delays and cancellations within their control, and a new website is here to help dudded customers.

Comparison by Choice of compensation payable on a flight equal to Sydney-Cairns. Picture: Choice

EXCLUSIVE

AIRLINES should be forced to pay compensation for delays and cancellations within their control, as happens in Europe, the nation’s top consumer group says.

New research by Choice shows about one in four of passengers had a problem with a flight delay or cancellation in the past year and nearly two-thirds of these reported no assistance was provided by the airline.

Today Choice will launch a website, complane.com.au, to make it easier for dudded customers to log their complaint and send it directly to the airline. It is doing so after finding 39 per cent of consumers making a travel-related complaint found it too much of a hassle and 11 per cent didn’t know how.

“It’s time we held airlines financially accountable for delays and cancellations within their control,” said Choice spokesman Tom Godfrey. “We don’t believe passengers should be paying for an airline’s delay.”

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Analise Bell (left) was stranded in Sydney by a flight cancellation. Her mother Kelly has struggled to get a refund or compensation. More on their experience below. Picture: Adam Taylor

In the European Union passengers can get compensation of up to €650 ($A900) for non-weather issues. They can also get refunds on flights, plus meals, refreshments, phone calls and accommodation.

After the EU compensation system came into place there were fewer delays in the UK, Mr Godfrey said.

Out of 816,000 scheduled Australian domestic flights since the start of 2015, 103,000 or 13 per cent did not take off on time and 12,500 or 1.5 per cent were cancelled, official data shows.

Airlines said they prioritise safety over schedule. One airline noted Ireland’s Ryanair imposed a levy to cover the compensation scheme. They all said that depending on circumstances, a delay or cancellation could lead to a refund, accommodation and food vouchers.

The Federal Government says all is well. A spokeswoman for Treasurer Scott Morrison said “Australia has robust consumer protection laws”.

Jetstar was meant to fly Analise Bell from Sydney to Cairns last month but delayed the flight then cancelled it. Yet Qantas managed to fly her aunt on the same route at the same time.

Ms Bell’s mother Kelly has been unable to get a refund or compensation for the extra she had to pay for a more expensive Virgin ticket.

Mrs Bell, of Cairns, said: “Where was my daughter going to stay? The airport?”

A spokesman for Qantas, which owns Jetstar, said “high winds” reduced the number of flights that could depart. A flight the following day was offered but not taken up. He said Jetstar does not refund or compensate for poor weather.

Batool Rizvi was left to fend for herself in Sydney by Jetstar on the coldest night of the year after it cancelled a flight. Picture: Sarah Matray

Melbourne’s Batool Rizvi slept outside Sydney Airport earlier this month after Jetstar delayed her flight home then cancelled it at 9.45pm. Other airlines were flying the route, she said.

Ms Rizvi said she and other passengers were told to “get lost”. The airline called the police, she said.

The Qantas spokesman said “strong winds impacted all airlines” that day. “Accommodation is not provided when the delay/cancellation is due to poor weather,” he said.

“We cannot verify the claims about comments from our customer service team members though it would be extremely uncharacteristic.”

There was no record of police being called, he said.

What to do when your flight is delayed or cancelled:

1. Check if the delay or cancellation was within the airline’s control (e.g. mechanical, crewing

or passenger problems)

2. Log on to complane.com.au and send your complaint directly to the airline

3. If you don’t hear back, follow up your complaint with the Airline Customer Advocate, the

industry’s independent complaints handling body

Source: Choice