Australia: Federal Court rules agains Qantas in fuel surcharge case

Australian Federal Court today ruled the fuel surcharge the airline charges passengers is not a tax, but simply part of the fare. Qantas will therefore be made to repay years of disputed commission fees to travel agents of tens of millions of dollars at least.The court upheld an appeal by Leonie’s Travel, forcing airlines to include the fuel surcharge in their base figure for calculating commissions paid to agents. The case will now return to the original judge to determine how much Qantas owes the agents.Source: The Sidney Morning Herald; find article here>>.Full text of Fedreral Court Judgement Leonie’s Travel Pty Ltd v Qantas Airways Limited[2010] FCAFC 37 available here>>.

Leave a Comment