Qantas passengers stranded in Johannesburg for days demand compensation
Hundreds of Qantas passengers have arrived home after being stranded in Johannesburg for three days when the A380 scheduled to fly them to Sydney was grounded with mechanical issues.
Hundreds of Qantas passengers were stranded in Johannesburg for three days due to a mechanical issue with their A380 flight to Sydney. The airline sent another aircraft to transport the passengers home, while the original plane remains at the airport in South Africa. Qantas has offered a full refund for the Johannesburg-Sydney flight, but passengers are demanding better compensation.
The superjumbo is currently undergoing repairs, and the airline has identified a problem with the nose wheel. Qantas initially offered 20,000 points or a $200 voucher to non-members, but later changed its offer to refund the Johannesburg to Sydney leg and provide an Uber voucher home. Passenger Harriett Moore, who was visiting family in South Africa, expressed distress over the situation, mentioning that fellow passengers with children ran out of essentials and missed events.
The airline has acknowledged that safety is their top priority, but passengers feel the compensation offered is insufficient. The European Union requires airlines to pay €600 in compensation for mechanical faults, while Australia currently has no guaranteed compensation scheme for disrupted flights.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
