Qantas gives away free tickets as strike apology
THOUSANDS of Qantas passengers left stranded during industrial action will be offered free flights as compensation, the airline announced yesterday.
The offer so far only applies to residents of Australia, who will be given a free return ticket within Australia and New Zealand, redeemable within two years.
The airline said it also intends to compensate foreign passengers, and will announce how at a later date.
“Throughout the long period of industrial activity we have been acutely aware of the impact on our customers,” chief executive Alan Joyce said.
“This ticket offer is one of a range of initiatives we will be launching as a way of saying sorry as we move forward into this period of stability.”
The free economy tickets on offer would cost the company up to A$20m (£12.97m), roughly equal to the estimated cost of each day of the dispute last month.
Qantas has promised the offer will come on top of refunds, and will email eligible passengers this week.
All Qantas Flights were grounded in the last weekend of October, with flights resuming on the Monday.