From 'The Australian' online: (to be in paper Friday 3 November...

From 'The Australian' online: (to be in paper Friday 3 November 2023):

QAN deserves what's coming to it. Joyce, Hudson, Goyder and others who were Board members or senior executives ought be personally financially penalised as well, but that's most unlikely to occur. It'll be SH who'll pay:

"Australian Competition & Consumer Commission chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb has doubled down... indicating that she is set on fighting it out with the group in the full view of open court rather than negotiate a closed-door settlement.

Speaking to the 2023 Economic and Social Outlook Conference, Ms Cass-Gottlieb also refuted that QAN was selling customers “rights” rather than “flights” in relation to allegations the airline sold tickets on more than 8000 already cancelled services.

The scandal around the so-called ‘ghost flights’ that Qantas sold to customers but then cancelled, leaving thousands of passengers stranded and scurrying to find new connections around Australia and sometimes overseas, is now the subject of ACCC action in the Federal Court.

Speaking at the conference, she showed no signs of leaning towards doing a deal before the matter comes to court.

“We are pursuing this matter in court, we took it in a defined and strong way, and we will continue to proceed,” she said on Thursday.

“One of the aspects we are trying to achieve through this action and through other actions … is that consumers are entitled to be delivered the services in accordance with the terms that are represented to them. And we think this sets, importantly, high standards of customer service in order to enable informed consumers to make decisions in their personal interest and in their economic interest..."