Due to be completed in October 2025, the review will look at how airlines and airports deal with customer complaints, with the aim of delivering vital baseline data and helping ensure customers have improved experiences when making a complaint about their air travel challenges.
This data will be used to provide a benchmark for future changes to be measured against and it will inform how the new federal aviation ombudsperson can effectively support consumers with relevant complaints that aren't resolved by airlines and airports.
The review will directly engage with selected industry stakeholders and consumers, and will look at current processes, performance, case studies, and difficulties with complaint procedures.
The establishment of a new independent Aviation Industry Ombuds Scheme was announced in the Aviation White Paper: Towards 2050. The Ombuds Scheme will accompany an Aviation Customer Rights Charter that establishes fair and appropriate treatment of consumers by airlines and airports. The Ombuds Scheme is proposed to start operating and accepting complaints in 2026, once it's established by legislation.
The review is being undertaken for Interim Aviation Industry Ombudsperson Samantha Palmer by crkhoury, which has expertise in reviewing complaint handling schemes. It forms part of the Australian Government's commitment to support a more competitive aviation industry with robust consumer rights, improving outcomes for air travellers.
