Originally Posted by
nomess
Both airlines have already come out here saying that their business models are at risk if such laws comes into play.
What they are really saying is KPIs and stupidly high margins are at risk so bonuses might not be paid. Even the more better.
Spot on. The EU laws are best practice because they encourage airlines to ensure a service is reliable, be it with newer and more reliable aircraft, engineering support, appropriate levels of staff and ground equipment etc. The compensation isn't payable if things like air traffic management decisions, political unrest, security threats or weather events cause the delay. Strike action by 3rd parties MAY be considered as extraordinary circumstances and therefore be exempt from compensation payouts but strike action by an airlines own staff results in compensation being paid to passengers. Maybe in Australia this would result in better industrial relations and in 20+ year old aircraft being assigned to charter ops only or being flown between maintenance ports only?