Flight delay compensation would stop Australian airlines from acting like a ‘mafia of the skies’, MP says

Australian airlines are acting like a “mafia of the sky” in continuing to strategically cancel flights they never intended to operate, an MP has claimed, arguing for the urgent introduction of compensation laws so carriers are deterred by immediate penalties. Monique Ryan, the independent member for Kooyong in Melbourne, has ramped up her calls for a mandatory compensation scheme for airline passengers, saying allegations levelled by Sydney airport this week showed such laws were needed as a matter of urgency and could not wait until the government’s aviation white paper, which is due by the middle of next year. On Wednesday, Sydney airport’s outgoing CEO, Geoff Culbert, accused Qantas – among other airlines – of continuing to strategically cancel flights out of the airport to block competition as he warned the embattled airline is making it difficult for Australians to “fall in love with Qantas again”. Ryan, who has called for a scheme similar to those in place in the United Kingdom and the EU, believes the issue must now be addressed as a matter of urgency. “Airlines like Qantas are acting less like national treasures and more like the mafia of the sky,” she said. Ryan said she was “appalled to read the outgoing Sydney Airport CEO’s allegations that Qantas deliberately cancels flights to block competition”.<br/>