Federal Court orders Qantas to pay $100m for misleading customers

Qantas has been ordered to pay $100 million in penalties by the Federal Court.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) confirmed the penalty, saying the Australian airline was hit with the fee for “misleading consumers by offering and selling tickets for flights it had already decided to cancel, and by failing to promptly tell existing ticketholders of its decision”.

The penalties were imposed after Qantas admitted to contravening the Australian Consumer Law (ACL).

“This is a substantial penalty, which sets a strong signal to all businesses, big or small, that they will face serious consequences if they mislead their customers,” ACCC chair, Gina Cass-Gottlieb, said.