Qantas Travel Credits Class Action

While this claim is currently in relation to Qantas flights, we are also investigating similar claims for customers who held tickets for Jetstar flights cancelled due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.

Jetstar customers are invited to register their interest by clicking the ‘Register Now’ button above. If you register your interest, we will keep you updated if a similar claim is brought in respect of Jetstar customers.

Yes, you can still participate if you booked your tickets through a third party such as a travel agent or online booking platform.

Yes, even if you eventually obtained a refund from Qantas or used your travel credits you can still participate. In this class action, we allege that Qantas customers suffered losses by not being refunded at the time flights were cancelled – for example, we say that customers lost money because they were ‘out of pocket’ for a significant period of time when they should have been refunded, and that Qantas unlawfully benefited from holding those customer funds.

Accordingly, you can still register for the claim using the ‘Register Now’ link at the top of the page.

Yes, if you are able to obtain a refund from Qantas outside the class action, you should seek to do so.

Even if you eventually obtain a refund from Qantas directly, the class action alleges that you are still entitled to compensation for losses you have suffered - for example, for interest or for the ‘loss of use’ of the money held by Qantas for a lengthy period of time.

Accordingly, we would encourage you to register your interest in the class action by clicking the ‘Register Now’ button at the top of the page.

While this class action is only against Qantas, if you wish to provide details of another airline, you may do so via the registration form. If you register your interest, we will keep you updated about other similar claims we are investigating.

A class action is a proceeding that is brought by one or more persons on their own behalf and on behalf of a group of people (called group members) who have similar claims against another person or persons.

See below at ‘Am I a Group Member?’ to view the group member eligibility criteria for this class action.

Subject to some limited exclusions, you are a group member if you purchased or held a ticket on a Qantas flight (domestic or international) that meets the following criteria:

1. the flight was scheduled to depart between 1 January 2020 and 1 November 2022;

2. the flight was cancelled; and

3. the cancellation did not automatically result in a refund or a rebooking on the next available flight to the same destination at no additional cost. Most commonly, this criteria is satisfied because Group Members were issued with a flight credit by Qantas rather than an automatic refund or rebooking.

The complete group member definition is available for review at paragraph 1 of the Applicant’s Amended Originating Application and Further Amended Statement of Claim, both of which can be downloaded below under Key Documents.

If you purchased tickets for another passenger’s flight, please note that both you and the passenger are Group Members in this class action.

If you are unsure whether or not you are a group member, you can contact Echo Law by telephone on (03) 7046 3565 or email enquiries@echolaw.com.au or, if you wish to seek your own legal advice, you should do so without delay.

When you register, you will be asked a number of questions about your flight cancellation and whether you received travel credits. Answer these questions as best you can, but don’t worry if you are unsure of any particular detail, as your information can be revised at a later date. You can click on the ‘Register Now’ button above to register your details.

If you have copies of any documents evidencing your flight cancellation and receipt of travel credits, such as any emails sent from Qantas to you, you can upload these when you register or, if more convenient, you can email these to enquiries@echolaw.com.au. We may contact you to verify your registration and follow up on any outstanding materials.

Registration is not compulsory, but there is no cost to register and there are a number of reasons why you should consider registering for this class action now:

• First, it allows Echo Law to confirm you are a group member, to provide you with updates in relation to the class action, and to contact you if you become eligible to receive compensation.

• Second, by registering now you can ensure that you avoid missing any future deadlines for registration if you are eligible to receive compensation.

You can register for someone else if you have their permission to do so. You will then receive updates and information about this class action. Where the class action reaches the stage where individual loss is assessed, we may then take steps to ensure you are a duly authorised agent or trustee of the group member you have registered for.

A class action is a process by which the claims of many people can be heard simultaneously in a single court proceeding. You can read more about class actions on our website here.

This claim has been issued on an open class basis. This means if you are an eligible, you will automatically be included as a group member in this class action. As a Group Member, you will be you will be bound by any settlement or judgment of the class action and will be entitled to share in the benefit of any order, judgment or settlement in favour of the Applicant and Group Members. However, you will not be able to bring a separate legal action against the Respondent in respect of the issues covered by the class action.

While it is not compulsory to register, we would encourage group members to register your details with us, to receive updates on the class action at your preferred email address and to ensure you are notified if the case is successful such that you become eligible to receive compensation.

You can register by clicking the ‘Register Now’ button at the top of this page.

Group members can cease to participate in a class action by taking steps to opt out of the class action. This is called the ‘opt out’ process and will occur at a later stage in the proceeding. Group members who have opted out of a class action will not be bound by its outcome. There is nothing you need to do at the moment if you do not wish to participate in this class action. Group members will be contacted at a later date in relation to opt out.

If you do wish to participate in this class action, there is nothing you need to do at this stage other than registering your interest.

Group members in a class action are not individually responsible for the legal costs associated with bringing a class action and group members do not pay out of pocket costs by participating in a class action. If the class action is unsuccessful, group members will not pay any cost. If the class action is successful and financial compensation is recovered from Qantas, legal costs payable will be deducted from the amount of compensation recovered for group members. These costs will never exceed the amount of compensation to which you may otherwise become entitled and will be assessed by the Court to ensure any legal costs deducted from the amount of any compensation are fair and reasonable.

The solicitors on the record for this class action are from the law firm Echo Law.

Echo Law is a class actions focused law firm founded by experienced legal professionals who have a proven track record of success in the industry. You can read more about us, and our track record on our website here.

In this class action Echo Law is working together with another law firm, Piper Alderman, to advance group member’s claims.

CASL and Omni Bridgeway are jointly funding the class action against Qantas.

CASL is made up of one of the most experienced litigation finance teams in Australia. You can read more about CASL here.

Omni Bridgeway is one of the world’s largest legal finance firms. You can read more about Omni Bridgeway here.

If you have a question that has not been answered, you can email us at enquiries@echolaw.com.au