Three out of every four complaints against Qantas Airways last year were not resolved to the satisfaction of the airline’s customers, a new report by the Airline Customer Advocate shows.
All of Qantas’ key domestic competitors managed to fare better with their customer base last year, with Rex Airlines delivering the best result for its passengers, resolving two-thirds of complaints satisfactorily.
Even Qantas’ low-cost sister brand Jetstar Airways outperformed the national flag carrier, resolving just over half of customer complaints satisfactorily, while Virgin Australia resolved just under a third to their customers’ contentment.
The Airline Customer Advocate report also spotlights Qantas’ lengthy complaints resolution process, with customer issues finalised in an average of 110 days.
This trailed the field significantly, with the second-worst Jetstar paling in comparison, finalising complaints in an average of just 40 days; Virgin took around 15 days to finalise complaints, while Rex took around 20.
Qantas also led all of its domestic competitors in frequency of three of the top-five complaint categories, taking first position in refund requests, baggage services, and loyalty/frequent flyer program.
Jetstar led the way in the other two categories – “flight delay or cancellation” complaints, and “fees or charges” complaints.
