Following a day of frustrations for travellers yesterday due to heavy fog covering Launceston Airport, more delays are expected for travellers today.
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As of 12.30pm, Melbourne to Launceston flights JQ733, VA1362, VA9540, and VA1364 were delayed.
Jetstar flight JQ735 was cancelled.
Coming out of Launceston, flights JQ732, VA9541, and VA1367 to Melbourne were delayed. Flight JQ734 was cancelled.
Flight VA1089 to Sydney was also delayed.
An update on Facebook from the airport at 8.26pm on Sunday said some flights for the morning had been cancelled as the aircraft was not in Launceston overnight ready for the first service.
The post urged travellers to keep in mind that weather can be unpredictable.
"These types of days cause massive issues for airlines and huge costs such as wasted fuel as well as disruptions to services between other airports too," the post said.
"It has a massive ripple effect but the airlines do their best to minimise disruption across all their customers."
Morning fog continued above Evandale on Monday, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. Fog was clearing in Launceston.
What are your rights?
According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), all usual consumer rights apply when domestic or international flights departing Australia are booked.
If the airline refuses to fix the problem or takes too long, passengers may be able to have the service provided by another airline and recover the costs of the replacement flight.
On May 30, the Federal Court ordered Jetstar to pay $1.95 million in penalties for making false or misleading representations about consumer guarantee rights under the Australian Consumer Law.
The court found between April 2017 and March 2018, the airline had made false or misleading representations on its website about rights and remedies available to consumers, stating some fares were not refundable and consumers could only get a refund if they purchased a more expensive fare.
ACCC chairman Rod Sims said all flights come with automatic consumer guarantees that can't be excluded, restricted, or modified - no matter how cheap the fare.
"If a flight is cancelled or significantly delayed, passengers may be entitled to a refund under the consumer guarantees," he said.
"All consumers have the right to a remedy, such as a refund, if services are not supplied within a reasonable time.
"Businesses simply cannot make blanket 'no refunds' statements, because they can mislead consumers into thinking they can never get a refund under any circumstances."
In December, Jetstar, Tigerair, Qantas, and Virgin Australia committed to ensuring their refund policies and practices complied with their consumer guarantee obligations.
The ACCC was concerned each airline had made false or misleading representations on their websites that misled consumers about their rights to refunds or resupply in the event of a delay or cancellation.
Mr Sims said each airline had committed to doing the right thing by their passengers.
"Passengers will now be offered refunds or other remedies by these airlines when there has been a failure to supply the service within a reasonable time."
Jetstar's website details its guarantees for consumers in the event of a cancellation or delay.
If there is a confirmed delay of more than 45 minutes on the day of travel and the flight is cancelled, and the airline is aware of this more than two hours prior to the scheduled departure time, Jetstar committees to advising the passenger or their travel agent, or if the flight is cancelled, it will offer alternative arrangements to get the passenger to their destination at no additional cost, either on the next available flight before or after the booked flight.
For more information about Jetstar's guarantee, visit its website.
If a passenger is affected by a flight delay or cancellation and is not happy with their airline's actions, the ACCC suggested the following actions:
- First, contact the airline to try and resolve the issue;
- Take notes of any conversations and save emails;
- If necessary, make a complaint to Consumer, Building and Occupational Services.
- Contract their travel insurance provider;
- Consider reporting it to the ACCC.