Qantas flight credit class action settlement communication begins

Echo Law

A Court-ordered notice is now being sent, by email and text message, to over 1 million Qantas customers potentially eligible for a payment from the $105 million settlement in the Flight Credit Class Action against Qantas. It will take approximately 2 weeks for all who have been deemed potentially eligible to receive a communication. A FAQ document is attached to this media release.

Earlier this year the parties reached an agreement to settle the class action, with no admission of liability (subject to Court approval). The Federal Court of Australia has made orders for Echo Law to distribute notices about the proposed settlement, and the steps group members need to take to participate, to the hundreds of thousands of Qantas customers whose flights were cancelled during the COVID pandemic.

Andrew Paull, Partner at Echo Law said:

“We are pleased that the Federal Court has issued orders for us to contact eligible Qantas customers. This is a critical step that brings us closer to distributing millions of dollars in settlement funds to customers who were issued flight credits for cancelled Qantas flights between 2020 - 2022.

“Before payments can be made, we need eligible group members in this class action to now take steps to participate in the proposed settlement. That’s why we’re reaching out by email and text message using the details that customers provided to Qantas when purchasing tickets.  

“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. It’s proposed that a minimum of $50 will be paid to those eligible, if the settlement is approved by the Court, however the amounts paid can be significantly higher, particularly in circumstances where a person had multiple bookings covered by the class action or experienced significant delays in receiving their refunds.”

“Texts and emails will issue each day over the next fortnight from Echo Law. If any recipients are nervous about clicking the link, they can visit the Echo Law website to confirm the legitimacy of the communication they’ve received. Those who believe that they’re eligible should wait 14 days to receive their email or text before contacting us via the website. Eligible customers will then need to follow the instructions in that notice and takes steps to participate in the class action.”

Kate Sambrook, Partner at Piper Alderman said:

“We are making this announcement today as 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, and indeed whether they should click on the link in the communication.”

“Under the terms of the settlement Qantas will pay the Applicant the full sum and payments will be distributed to eligible customers. This process will take several months and will only occur after the Court has determined that the settlement is fair and reasonable, and in the interests of group members. Our current expectation is that payments will start being made by the end of this calendar year.”

Echo Law and Piper Alderman ran the class action together, with Echo Law as the ‘solicitors on the record’ and Piper Alderman as Echo’s ‘agent’. The case was supported by litigation funders CASL and Omni Bridgeway. All enquiries regarding claims can be made at the Echo Law website: www.echolaw.com.au/Qantas

About Echo Law:

Echo Law is a plaintiff law firm, specialising in class actions against established interests. The firm was founded in 2022 by experienced legal professionals who have a proven track record of success in the industry, and who know what it takes to drive complex, large-scale cases to successful outcomes.

The cases Echo Law partners have led and worked on have been diverse and in many instances broken new ground. In total, those class actions have resulted in more than $850 million in successful resolutions.

Echo Law are committed to using their expertise to fight for the rights of individuals and groups who have been wronged by powerful corporations and institutions.

About Piper Alderman:

Piper Alderman is a leading Australian law firm with expertise in complex litigation and class actions.

With offices in Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, Piper Alderman works with clients across Australia and internationally to deliver client outcomes with responsive, commercially decisive expert advice.  

The firm’s legal expertise has been built on nearly two centuries of industry experience. 

FAQ in attachment

For further inquiries please contact David Imber, 0413 274 204 or at [email protected]