Higher ticket price vs surcharge:the reason
QANTAS faces a $50 million class action from hundreds of disgruntled travel agents who claim the airline has short-changed them by not paying commissions on fuel surcharges.
Plantiff law firm Slater & Gordon filed a statement of claim in the Federal Court on Friday, saying Qantas, Air New Zealand, Singapore Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Malaysia Airlines owed 1450 travel agents $80 million in unpaid commissions dating back to May 2004.
The suit claims the airlines breached the Trade Practices Act by requiring agents to book fuel surcharges in the commission-free "taxes, fees and charges" section of an air ticket.
Slater & Gordon lawyer Steven Lewis said it was unlawful because a fuel surcharge was not a tax but rather a "disguised air fare increase".
"These airlines have decided travel agents include the surcharge in the tax box," said Mr Lewis. "But it's not a tax."
The action follows a successful legal action by travel agents in Britain to force airlines to pay commission on an airport-related passenger service charge.