Major airline faces backlash after using ‘ghost flights’ to exploit a legal loophole: ‘They weren’t even selling tickets’

L4sBot@lemmy.worldmod to Technology@lemmy.world – 304 points – Major airline faces backlash after using ‘ghost flights’ to exploit a legal loophole: ‘They weren’t even selling tickets’
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Major airline faces backlash after using ‘ghost flights’ to exploit a legal loophole: ‘They weren’t even selling tickets’::Ultimately, it’s incumbent on lawmakers to take steps to ensure this practice is discouraged.

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In this case, Qatar Airways was making these extra journeys to avoid caps that allow it to make only 28 weekly trips to Australia’s major airports, which includes Melbourne. Landing at Adelaide Airport, which is not among that list, as the final destination enabled the airline to make additional journeys to Melbourne, as there were no limits on flights to non-major airports.

Cute.

Love the double standard. When you do this as a passenger to get a cheaper fare the airliner will ban you for life.

When you do this as a passenger to get a cheaper fare the airliner will ban you for life.

Wait, are you saying if you buy a ticket from Orlando to Las Vegas and the flight stops for a planned plane change in Atlanta, if you get off in Atlanta because that was your actual destination and DON'T continue on to Vegas you can get in trouble?

Correct. "In trouble" depends on your definition though. They ban ot because they give discounts for common destinations but they don't like it if you take advantage of the discount to fly to some less popular destination as a layover that would typically cost more if booked directly.

How can they even find out? You just go down with the other people who paid the direct trip there. Do they keep track somehow?

They know who's aboard the plane and aboard any connecting flights. Not sure if they'd be able to tell if it was one where you stay on the same plane the whole time, but those aren't as common IME.

Not in legal trouble but the airline might decide not to sell tickets to you in the future.

So I get how that's bad for the environment and all

But why are their flights limited to 28 in the first place?

There is a bit of a scandal in aus at the moment about this. Qatar asked for more international flights (they back Virgin Australia, one of 2 major domestic carriers in Australia). Government said no, for undisclosed reasons.

The "national" carrier Qantas are scumbags with the government in their pocket and likely quietly lobbied against it, but also Qatar International Airport did this to Australian citizens not that long ago:

https://amp.abc.net.au/article/12817070

So it's just kind of dickheads all the way down.

At the time, the airline also said it wasn't their fault or responsibility it happened (i.e., they had no power over it happening), but now at the hearing they claim they will ensure it won't happen again. 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️