Qantas CEO: ‘We let our customers down’ on canceled flights scandal

The boss of Qantas Airways has acknowledged the “anger” of thousands of customers who were sold tickets for already-canceled flights.

“Everyone feels pain at the anger,” Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson told CNN’s Richard Quest in an exclusive interview at an airline industry conference in Dubai Monday. “It’s not just me; (it’s) 25,000 people that work for us as well. Because not only (did) we let our customers down, we let our people down.”

Last August, Australian regulators accused Qantas in a lawsuit of selling tickets for more than 8,000 flights that the airline had already canceled — affecting more than 86,000 customers.

Qantas agreed last month to pay 120 million Australian dollars ($79 million) to settle the lawsuit. Of that, about 20 million Australian dollars ($13.3 million) will go to the affected customers.

The remaining 100 million Australian dollars ($66.5 million) is a fine — the biggest ever for an Australian airline, according to Reuters.

Hudson, who took the helm at Qantas in September, soon after the lawsuit was filed, told Quest the airline is focused on repairing its relationships with passengers and staff.

She has “spent a lot of time listening” to the concerns of customers and staff, she said. The airline is investing in improving the in-flight experience, including the food it serves and the Wi-Fi service it offers.

Qantas has since seen a “customer satisfaction rebound,” Hudson said, though she did not elaborate.

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