Compensation and Refunds

We are committed to getting you to your destination on time, however, sometimes bad weather, natural disasters, technical problems, operational and other issues can cause flight delays and cancellations. Your safety is always our first priority and while we will try our best to provide our service in accordance with the estimated departure and arrival time of your flight, flight times are not guaranteed.

We are committed to providing you with the highest levels of customer service including by looking after you if things don’t go as planned. We will provide you with assistance as set out below in the event of a delay or cancellation. Depending on the circumstances, this may include a refund and/or other compensation.

You may also have a statutory right to a remedy (including a refund and/or compensation) under the Australian Consumer Law. In Australia, the Australian Consumer Law contains consumer guarantees which provide consumers with a basic, guaranteed level of protection for goods and services that they acquire. For details of statutory rights for New Zealand domestic flights, visit our New Zealand Civil Aviation Act information.

For international travel you may have rights under the Warsaw or Montreal Convention. See our Conditions of Carriage for more information.

If a delay or cancellation occurs within 72 hours of the scheduled departure time, we will re-book you on the next available Qantas flight which is acceptable to you, without charge. Alternatively, you may be entitled to a refund (further information set out below). 

For all Australian domestic flights and international flights from Australia, we will also provide you with the following assistance.

Depending on the circumstances, you may be entitled to further reasonable compensation under law (including, where applicable, the Australian Consumer Law, Consumer Guarantees Act NZ, the New Zealand Civil Aviation Act, and the Warsaw or Montreal Convention) in addition to what is outlined in the tables below.

Delay or cancellation within our control*

Important information

*When delays or cancellations are due to reasons within Qantas’ control, we will provide the assistance listed in the below tables. Delays or cancellations within our control include: engineering issues, Qantas IT system outages, delayed delivery of baggage to the carousel due to resourcing issues, late cleaning/loading of catering to the aircraft, crew/staffing issues or any other circumstance which we can reasonably control.

Qantas will not provide compensation for delays or cancellations outside of our control, except in certain circumstances. Delays or cancellation outside our control include: weather events, air traffic control issues, industrial action by a third party, security issues or any other unusual or unforeseen circumstances which we cannot control and the consequences of which we could not have avoided.

Disclaimer: ^{^ Note: Qantas will consider claims for all costs caused by the delay or cancellation on a case by case basis, including claims for higher amounts where reasonably incurred.}

We take the utmost care in managing each flight, but on rare occasions a flight may be overbooked and we may need to seek a volunteer to change to another flight. If there are no volunteers, we will choose passengers to change to another flight. If this happens to you, and you arrived on time for your confirmed flight with all required documentation, we will re-book you on the next available Qantas flight and provide you with the assistance (in accordance with the above table for a delay or cancellation within our control). If you are flying internationally and the next available flight departs over 4 hours after your scheduled departure time, you will also be given a Qantas travel voucher.

Customers are entitled to a refund in the following situations:

• If we cancel your flight and we cannot offer you suitable alternative arrangements.
• If we delay your flight to the extent that you have to cancel your travel.
• If we make a significant change# to the scheduled flight time and we are unable to book you on an alternative flight that is acceptable to you. 
• If we cause you to miss a connecting Qantas flight on which you have a confirmed reservation. 
• If we are unable to carry you and you have a confirmed reservation.

If you are entitled to a refund, the refund will be equal to the fare paid if no part of the ticket is used. If part of the ticket is used, the refund will be equal to the difference between the fare paid and the fare that would have been payable if booked for the travel taken. If you need help with a refund, or would like to request or follow up on a refund call us on 13 13 13 (within Australia), +61 2 8222 2439 (outside Australia), or your local Qantas office for assistance.

You may also have a statutory right to a remedy (including a refund and/or compensation) under the Australian Consumer Law or the New Zealand Civil Aviation Act. For further information, visit our Australian Consumer Law information page. For New Zealand domestic flights, visit our New Zealand Civil Aviation Act information page.

Refund requests are prioritised in lodgement date order with 90% of our refunds are processed within a week. Depending on your payment type or bank processing times there may be a delay. Once your refund is processed you will receive an email to confirm it has been actioned. If you haven't received your refund within 4 weeks contact usOpens in a new tab or window for assistance.

If you are travelling on flights to or from Canada, refer to Canadian Air Passenger Protection Regulations for further information.

If you are travelling on flights to or from Europe or the UK, refer to Qantas Compensation and Assistance in case of cancellation, long delays or denied boarding of flights of more than 3500kms departing from EU countries or the UK (PDF) for further information.