Airlines in Australia are facing calls from consumer groups to guarantee compensation for flight delays and cancellations. Unlike in other parts of the world, including the United States and the U.K., there are no specific laws compelling carriers to compensate passengers. Major airlines in Australia said they take their responsibilities seriously. 

Many Australians have been full of enthusiasm at the chance to travel again after strict COVID policies that turned their country into a fortress came to an end.

But for some, that excitement has turned to frustration.

“The start of the holiday was just a disaster,” said Nicole Gibbs, whose family vacation from Sydney to Bali was ruined by delays and chaos at the airport. The schoolteacher said she’s been left hundreds of dollars out of pocket.

“You know we live in Sydney, so we didn’t want to spend our time in Sydney. We wanted to be away where we should have been, which is where I had paid for us to go,” she said. “Had tears from my daughter, and from myself. The process in order to try and recover any kind of compensation or return on my expenses was a debacle.”

In Australia, airlines decide whether customers are eligible for compensation or a refund. In other parts of the world, including the European Union and the United Kingdom, there are clear-cut regulations about what passengers are entitled to.

“If you have a cancellation that is due to the fault of the airline you know that you can get a refund for that flight. When you are involved in delays, in many cases that’s up to the airline’s own terms,” said Katharine Kemp from the University of New South Wales.

Virgin Australia told the BBC it offers passengers who are delayed hotel, taxi and meal vouchers.

Qantas said it has significantly reduced delays and cancellations. The national carrier insists it goes beyond its obligations to help its customers.

Adam Glezer runs a company called Consumer Champion. He said some passengers have lost significant amounts of money.

“There is certainly no obligation on the airline’s behalf to give any level of compensation, even if it is a six-hour delay, for example, customers will be lucky to get a Vegemite sandwich off them. ”

Disruptions to flights can be unavoidable because of the weather. But when an airline’s at fault, many Australians, who save hard to travel overseas as cost-of-living pressures increase, want the same rights to compensation as other countries.