{"id":784158,"date":"2026-07-07T05:46:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T05:46:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/784158\/"},"modified":"2026-07-07T05:46:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T05:46:12","slug":"qantas-contacting-more-than-1-million-customers-over-class-action-eligibility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/784158\/","title":{"rendered":"Qantas contacting more than 1 million customers over class action eligibility"},"content":{"rendered":"

Qantas customers are being warned not to ignore emails and text messages offering access to a multi-million-dollar settlement \u2014 even if they appear to be a scam.<\/p>\n

More than 1 million customers have started to receive emails and text messages explaining how they can apply for a share of a $105 million settlement following a class action against the airline over COVID-19 flight credits.<\/p>\n

It was alleged Qantas breached contractual \u2060obligations<\/a> by failing to provide refunds for cancelled flights during the pandemic.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The law firms behind the class action say, while texts like these may look fishy, they are real. (Supplied)<\/p>\n

Eligible customers are expected to receive a minimum payment of $50, although some payments could be significantly higher depending on their circumstances.<\/p>\n

The number of bookings that were affected and the delays customers experienced will factor into the refunds they receive.<\/p>\n

This week, law firms Echo Law and Piper Alderman began issuing the court-ordered notices to customers by text message and email.<\/p>\n

Echo Law partner Andrew Paull said the notices were a critical step towards distributing settlement funds, but customers first needed to follow the instructions and take steps to participate in the proposed settlement.<\/p>\n

“That’s why we’re reaching out by email and text message using the details that customers provided to Qantas when purchasing tickets,” Mr Paull said.<\/p>\n

“Even customers who used the flight credit they were issued, or subsequently received a refund are eligible to participate if they meet the relevant criteria.”<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The class action alleged Qantas failed to provide refunds for cancelled flights during the pandemic. (ABC News: Billy Cooper)<\/p>\n

Customers who received Qantas flight credits for cancelled flights between January 2020 and November 2022 may be eligible.<\/p>\n

Piper Alderman lawyer Kate Sambrook said the texts and emails sent by the firms were, in fact, legitimate.<\/p>\n

“We’re aware that the large number of scams that take place mean some recipients of these communications may question whether the text or email they’re receiving is legitimate.”<\/p>\n

She said the process would take “several months” and the firm’s “current expectation is that payments will start being made by the end of this calendar year”.<\/p>\n

Do you have a story to share? Email\u00a0Specialist.Team@abc.net.au<\/a><\/p>\n

\"the<\/p>\n

Qantas is not the only airline to face scrutiny over COVID-era flight credits. (AAP: Paul Miller)<\/p>\n

Qantas will distribute $68 million to customers who received a travel credit rather than a refund for flights cancelled during the pandemic.<\/p>\n

Another $37 million has been reserved from the settlement for commissions and legal fees following the case initiated by Echo Law.<\/p>\n

As part of the settlement, Qantas has not admitted any wrongdoing.<\/p>\n

The airline has also extended the expiry date of COVID-19 flight credits indefinitely.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Eligible customers are expected to receive a minimum of $50, though some payments could be much higher. (Pexels: Miles Burke)<\/p>\n

Qantas says customers eligible to receive compensation under the settlement can still choose to seek a refund instead of using their COVID-19 credit.<\/p>\n

The settlement still requires Federal Court approval.<\/p>\n

The lawyers expect payments to begin after the approval process, with timing dependent on the final settlement process.<\/p>\n

It comes as airlines continue to face scrutiny over billions of dollars in COVID-era flight credits issued when pandemic restrictions forced widespread cancellations.<\/p>\n

Virgin Australia <\/a>has faced pressure from customers and consumer advocates over unused COVID flight credits, but unlike Qantas, Virgin’s credits have remained subject to expiry conditions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Qantas customers are being warned not to ignore emails and text messages offering access to a multi-million-dollar settlement…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":565453,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[370624,64,63,99,370626,370627,370622,370623,370625],"class_list":["post-784158","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-are-texts-about-a-qantas-settlement-real","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-business","tag-echo-law","tag-piper-alderman","tag-qantas-covid-refunds","tag-qantas-settlement","tag-refunds-for-cancelled-flights"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/784158","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=784158"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/784158\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/565453"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=784158"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=784158"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=784158"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}