Qantas Customer Service Plan - United States

We aim to meet your expectations every time you fly and so we continue to invest in our business and will always strive to provide you with an exceptional level of service.

With this Customer Service Plan, we want you to know what you can expect when you choose to fly with us to or from the United States. Below we set out our commitment to you and provide links to our website where more detailed information is available.

For the lowest fare currently available directly from Qantas for your chosen itinerary, book on our website at qantas.com. All flight bookings made via our telephone reservations service or at an airport ticket counter will incur service fees in addition to the fare.

We will communicate with you as soon as possible if there is a change to your booking. We will use the contact details you or your travel agent provided in your booking. If you booked through a travel agent we will also notify the travel agent. 

We can't control all the elements. Bad weather, technical problems, operational and other issues can sometimes cause flight delays or even cancellation or diversion of the flight plan. If this happens, while we're doing all we can to fix the problem we will keep you informed of developments as information becomes available and we will tell you the choices that are available to you.

This will include providing timely updates in the boarding gate area as soon as it is staffed, at airport display boards where we can control them, on board the aircraft if you have boarded, via our telephone reservation service if you call and on our website at qantas.com.

If your Booking includes a flight to/from the United States (or a flight on the Booking connects to a flight on the same Booking to/from the United States within 24 hours) and a schedule change results in a significant delay or cancellation, in line with US Department of Transportation (DOT) requirements we will also offer you the option to obtain a refund if you choose not to travel. We will use the contact details you or your travel agent provided in your booking. If you booked through a travel agent we will also notify the travel agent. 

Where consumers are entitled to a refund, Qantas will disclose the consumer's entitlement to a refund when offering alternative transportation, travel credits, vouchers, or other compensation in lieu of refunds consistent with the requirement in 14 CFR 260.7. Qantas will also disclose any material restrictions, conditions, or limitations on travel credits, vouchers, or other compensation offered, regardless of whether consumers are entitled to a refund as described in 14 CFR 260.8 and 14 CFR 262.8.

Qantas understands the importance of getting you safely to your destination on time, every time, with your baggage.

If we do misplace your baggage we will do everything reasonable to locate your bags and return them to you within 15 hours for an international flight to the United States that is 12 or less hours in duration or within 30 hours for an international flight to the United States that is more than 12 hours in duration.  If your baggage is significantly delayed because it is not delivered within these timeframes or is lost, we will promptly refund any checked baggage fees paid provided you have filed a Mishandled Baggage Report (MBR) and the following exceptions do not apply:

• the delay resulted from your failure to pick up and recheck a bag at the first international entry point into the United States as required by U.S. Customs and Border Protection;
• the delay resulted from your failure to pick up a checked bag that arrived on time at your ticketed final destination (e.g., you failed to pick up the bag before taking a flight on a separate itinerary); or
• the delay resulted from your agreement to travel without the checked bag on the same flight due to limited time because you fail to check in on time or because you are a standby passenger.       

If your bags are significantly delayed we will offer you assistance in the form of emergency expenses. We will apply the limits of liability provided for in the Montreal Convention of 1999 or other law that applies to the carriage of your baggage. For more information refer to Baggage ServicesOpens in a new tab or window.

Where you have purchased an ancillary product or service and you fail to receive that product or service through no fault of your own (e.g., prepaid ancillary service not utilised because of flight cancellation, significant change, or oversale situation; service not provided because of aircraft substitution, equipment malfunction, etc.) or you reject any reasonable alternative product or service offered to you, any fee you have paid for this ancillary product or service will be refunded to you promptly to the original form of payment once you notify us. Where an ancillary service is not available for all passengers who paid for that service, we will promptly refund the applicable fee once the unavailability of the service is known.

If you make your reservation at least 1 week in advance of the travel date and, within 24 hours of making your reservation you change your mind, Qantas will provide a fare refund without fee upon request. Customers are advised to call our call centre to obtain a refund.

If a fare refund is owed in accordance with the applicable fare rules, we will provide you with this refund promptly. Fare refunds will include all government-imposed taxes, fees and airline charges.

To find out more about cancellation please refer to the Fare RulesOpens in a new tab or window provided to you at the time of purchase.  

In the event that your journey does not go according to plan, we will do all that we can to assist.

If your flight is cancelled or significantly changed we will keep you informed and if you have a connecting flight on the same ticket we will assist with arrangements for your next flight.

If your Booking includes a flight to/from the United States (or a flight on the Booking connects to a flight on the same Booking to/from the United States within 24 hours) and:

• Your flight is cancelled;
• Your scheduled departure is changed by 3 or more hours earlier for domestic United States itineraries or 6 or more hours earlier for international itineraries;
• Your scheduled arrival time is changed by 3 or more hours later for domestic United States itineraries or 6 or more hours later for international itineraries; 
• We change your flight to depart from a different origin airport or arrive at a different destination airport;
• You are downgraded to a lower class of service;- or
• We change your flight and increase the number of connection points compared to  your original Booking,

and you choose not to travel and reject any other alternative options provided to you, you will be promptly refunded the applicable fare. 

Where a refund is due from Qantas in the above sections 4 to 6, we will promptly process the refund to the original form of payment on your booking (unless you agree to a different form) within 7 business days of the refund becoming due for credit card purchases and within 20 calendar days of the refund becoming due for other forms of payment. 

Qantas aims to provide a travel experience that is comfortable and hassle free, while ensuring the safety of passengers and our staff.

Qantas will do all it can to provide information and assistance to passengers with specific needs in a non-discriminatory way, including in the event of a tarmac delay. We will comply with our obligations under the US Department of Transportation Rule on Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Disability in Air Travel.

To assist us in making any necessary arrangements for your travel please provide us with all relevant information about your specific needs before you travel:

• If you book via the internet please contact Qantas on +1 800 227 4500 in the USA or +61 1800 177 474 in Australia immediately after you have purchased your ticket.
• If you book by telephone (+1 800 227 4500 in the USA or +61 1800 177 474  in Australia), you can provide the information to the Sales Consultant who makes your booking.
• If you book through a travel agent you can provide the information to the travel agent who can provide the information to us. Please ask your travel agent to confirm to you that your specific needs have been recorded by Qantas or you can confirm directly with Qantas on +1 800 227 4500 in the USA or +61 1800 177 474 in Australia.

If you do not provide advance notice of your specific needs we may not be able to meet your request. This should not prevent you from travelling on your scheduled flight, but may affect the level of service we are able to provide.

If you’re travelling with a disability and have specific assistance or accessibility requirements, and we notify you of a change to your Booking that results in your Booking requiring you to travel:

• Through one or more connecting airports that differ from the original itinerary; or
• In a downgraded class or a substitute aircraft that results in one or more accessibility features needed being unavailable;

you may choose not to travel and receive your choice of a prompt and full refund or alternative compensation.  In the event you choose not to travel, the other passengers on your impacted Booking can also choose not to travel and receive their choice of a prompt and full refund of the applicable fare or any alternative compensation that we may offer.

Upon your request, we will provide you with a notification of the expiration date of any alternative compensation, such as a voucher or credit, in an electronic format that is accessible to you.  

We are committed to on time departures so that we can get you to your destination on time.

If, despite our efforts, an aircraft is delayed on the tarmac, Qantas has processes in place to ensure we are addressing your essential needs.

Find out more in our Qantas Tarmac Delay Contingency Plan.

Airline flights may be overbooked. This means there may be a slight chance that there are more reservations than available seats on your flight, even though you are holding a confirmed ticket. This may be because of commercial overbooking or restrictions that are imposed due to weather conditions or for other safety reasons.

In these circumstances, we will not deny you a seat without first asking for volunteers who are willing to give up their confirmed seat in exchange for compensation for a specified amount, and travel on a later, specified flight. Volunteers will not be entitled to any further payment, refund or compensation.

If there are not enough volunteers, we may need to deny boarding to one or more passengers involuntarily.

If you are denied boarding involuntarily due to an overbooking of our flight for which you have a valid ticket and a confirmed reservation, we will provide compensation as required by law provided that you have met our check-in deadline and other travel requirements and we have not placed you on another flight that arrives within one hour of your original flight schedule. We will provide you with a written explanation of your rights and monetary compensation.

To help you prepare for your flight we provide you with information on our policies and services on our website qantas.com, and if you ask our telephone reservations or airport staff.

When you book on our website at qantas.com you can click on the flight number to see which aircraft type is scheduled to operate the flight.

Find out more about our aircraft including our standard seat configuration and location of lavatories.

Find out more about the Qantas Frequent Flyer Program.

Use of insecticides

Some countries require the cabin of inbound flights to be treated with insecticide.

We value your opinion as your feedback helps us to identify and address issues with our service.

To provide your feedback or make a complaint about our scheduled services contact Customer Care or in writing at Qantas Airways Limited, 10 Bourke Road, Mascot NSW 2020, Australia. We will acknowledge your feedback within 30 days and provide you with a substantive response within 60 days. In the US, you can also contact Qantas on toll-free telephone number +1 855 477 9316.

While we endeavour to resolve your complaint as quickly as we can, every case is different and some more complicated matters may take longer to resolve.

You can also contact the Aviation Consumer Protection Division of the US Department of Transport by filing a form, by telephon e: 1 202 366 2220 (TTY/Assistive Device: 1 202 366 0511, or by writing to: Aviation Consumer Protection Division, C-75, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20590. You can find more information at https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer.