We’re seeking your views on the draft Aviation Customer Rights Charter, which sets out the expectations of fair and reasonable conduct by airlines and airports towards consumers.
Why we want your input
Your feedback will be used to develop the Aviation Customer Rights Charter outlining the minimum standard of consumer protections that should apply to airlines and airports operating in Australia.How you can voice your opinion
You can have your say by reading the draft Aviation Customer Rights Charter and making a written submission below.What will be the outcome of this consultation?
Your views will help to inform the final Aviation Customer Rights Charter to provide greater clarity on the appropriate treatment of airline and airport customers.The Issue
The Aviation White Paper, released on 26 August 2024, committed to an Aviation Industry Ombuds Scheme that would produce an Aviation Customer Rights Charter to provide practical information about the obligations that airlines and airports have to their customers.
The draft Aviation Customer Rights Charter sets out the expectations of fair and reasonable conduct by airlines and airports, and has been informed by rights under Australian Consumer Law and other relevant legislation. This includes the right to:
- be treated with dignity and respect, in an accessible and inclusive environment
- accurate, timely and accessible information and customer service
- prompt and fair remedies and support during and after cancellations, delays and disruptions
- safe and timely baggage handling and fair remedies for damage and delays
- the protection of their personal information
- provide feedback, make complaints and exercise their rights without retribution.
The Charter will complement, not replace, consumers’ existing rights under Australian Consumer Law (ACL) and does not seek to interpret the ACL.
We are interested in your views on the scope and detail of the draft Aviation Customer Rights Charter.
In addition to the Aviation Customer Rights Charter, the Aviation White Paper separately commits to a number of dedicated initiatives to improve the experience of air travel for people with disability. This includes the development of new aviation-specific disability standards, as a schedule to the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport 2002. The new standards will affirm the rights of people with disability during air travel and the obligations that airlines and airports have to provide equal access. The draft standards will be co-designed with people with disability and industry consulted in 2025.
Relevant documentation
Keep in touch
Subscribe to our mailing list to get updates about the interim Aviation Industry Ombuds Scheme.
To register your interest in taking part in round table discussions about the draft Aviation Customer Rights Charter, please contact aviationcustomerrights@infrastructure.gov.au.
Due to the limited numbers of attendees, registering your interest does not guarantee a place in the round table discussions.
Participate
21 Dec 2024 23:00 AEDT
28 Feb 2025 23:59 AEDT
Open
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We invite you to tell us your views on this topic.
Please include:
- contact name
- organisation name, if applicable
- contact details, including telephone number, postal and email addresses
- confirmation whether or not your submission can be made public—published—or kept confidential.
All submissions to be made public need to meet the Digital Service Standard for accessibility. Any submission that does not meet this standard may be modified before being made public.
If your submission is to be made public, please ensure you do not include any personal information that you don't want to be published.
If your submission is confidential, please ensure each page of the submission is marked as confidential.
Please click on the 'Have your say now' button below to upload your submission.
Privacy Collection Notice
Draft Aviation Customer Rights Charter
Your submission, including any personal information supplied, is being collected by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts (“the Department”) in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988.
Use
The Department may use your submission to inform the development of the final Aviation Customer Rights Charter.
Disclosure
The Department may disclose your submission (including confidential submissions) to the Attorney-General’s Department and the Australian Human Rights Commission where it concerns matters relating to the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, for the purpose of developing the Aviation Customer Rights Charter.
The Department may publish your submission as explained below. Otherwise your submission will not be disclosed unless authorised or required by law.
Contacting You
The Department may use your contact information to make further contact with you about your submission and the consultation process.
Publication
Unless marked confidential (see below) submissions (including the author’s name) may be published in part or full on the Department’s website or in any public response by the Department. When publishing, the Department will redact any personal contact details of the author.
Confidentiality
Confidential submissions will not be published and will only be disclosed in the following circumstances:
- in response to a request by a Commonwealth Minister;
- where required by a House or a Committee of the Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia;
- where necessary in the public interest; or
- where authorised or required by law.
Submissions will only be treated as confidential if they are expressly stated to be confidential. Automatically generated confidentiality statements or disclaimers appended to an email do not suffice for this purpose. If you wish you make a confidential submission, you must indicate this by ensuring your submission is clearly marked confidential. Even if a submission is not marked confidential, the Department may choose not to publish it, or any part of it, in the Department’s discretion (for example where it includes personal information or opinions about a third party).
Access
The Department will securely store your personal information and the Department’s privacy policy contains information regarding complaint handling processes and how to access and/or seek correction of personal information held by the Department. Further information is available at Privacy | Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts.