The Australian Government is asking for passengers to have their say on the design of new aviation consumer protections.
In an Australian first, a consumer protection scheme will be introduced to offer greater protections to passengers and to ensure greater accountability of airlines and airports.
Currently, there are no national standards that determine what remedies passengers are entitled to receive in the event of delays or cancellation.
The Albanese Labor Government believes passengers should be entitled to prompt re-bookings or refunds, and access to food and accommodation when travel plans are disrupted. The new Aviation Consumer Protections will clarify airline obligations, and the minimum level of assistance required when a scheduled flight is disrupted.
The proposed Consumer Protections will be paired with an ombudsman scheme and a new regulator to ensure airlines and airports abide by the new minimum standards.
The aviation consumer ombudsman scheme will assist with eligible complaints that consumers have been unable to directly resolve with an airline or airport.
Submissions are now open, and will close on 5 October 2025 for questions relating to primary legislation.
Submissions for questions relating to subordinate legislation including the Charter will close on 26 October 2025.
This follows previous consultations on the ombudsman scheme and the Charter, which have informed the proposed approach to aviation consumer protections and their enforcement.
