Qantas in years-long battle with passenger refunds of more than $356: airline finally refunds customer after more than 12 months of waiting
- Customer said Qantas treated her like “absolute dirt.”
- Nichola Tranter sad that the airline ‘stole money’
Qantas took more than a year to pay a customer $356 after the airline announced it was on track to make a $2.5 billion profit for the fiscal year.
Nichola Tranter used frequent flyer points and about $2,500 on top of that for round-trip flights from Melbourne to Los Angeles in May 2022.
But three months later, a $356 charge from Qantas showed up on her credit card account, despite already paying the cost of the flights in full.
Ms Tranter said she was charged twice for the tax portion of her booking and accused the airline of treating her like “absolute dirt” while trying to get her money back.
Qantas, a multi-billion dollar company, has been stealing money from hard-working everyday Australians during a cost-of-living crisis. It’s just awful,” she said Yahoo News.
Qantas is on track to make a profit of about $2.5 billion this fiscal year, but Nichola Tranter (pictured) has had to wait more than 12 months to repay $356 owed to her
The frustrated flyer said the airline admitted she made a mistake, but was “blowed off” by the many calls she made to get her money back.
The Melbourne woman said she was told three times that a refund had been paid and to contact her bank – she did, but that didn’t happen.
She claimed she was also told that the national airline did not incur the charges in the first place, even though it was clearly stated on her credit card bill on August 2, 2022.
“Many Australians are currently struggling to make ends meet and would not be able to afford to take out $356 without any notice, let alone miss that money for almost a year,” she said.
Daily Mail Australia contacted Qantas, who admitted that Ms Tranter had accidentally been double charged for $356.
The airline said the money was refunded on August 15 and Qantas is contacting it to make sure it gets the money back.
“We sincerely apologize to Ms. Tranter for the delay and have contacted her to refund the incorrect charge,” a spokesperson said.
But Ms Tranter said it was “ridiculous” that it took so long and that she may not fly Qantas anymore because customer needs are not being met.
“You can’t run a successful big business like this and treat your customers like pure filth because it’s just ridiculous,” she said.
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce, who leaves the position in November, has a base salary of $2.2 million but could receive up to $4.3 million in bonus payments this year.
Qantas expects demand for post-Covid travel to hold steady as it reports record profits thanks to high fares and a booming domestic market.
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce (pictured), who leaves the position in November, has a base salary of $2.2 million but could receive up to $4.3 million in bonus payments this year
Bookings indicate continued strong demand for travel, with Qantas revenue at 118 percent of pre-pandemic levels for domestic flights and 123 percent for international travel.
It said it would operate slightly more domestic flights than before the pandemic by the end of 2023, led by a significant increase in key routes between Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.
The airline’s international capacity is at 84 percent of its pre-Covid level and will reach 100 percent by March 2024.
In May, Qantas said it expected underlying pre-tax profit of between $2.425 billion and $2.475 billion for 2022/23, significantly better than previous records but broadly in line with guidance and consensus expectations.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Ms Tranter for further comment.