Jacqueline Vella is devastated after losing thousands of dollars on a cancelled family holiday, but she has nowhere to turn after the peak travel industry body suspended its complaints handling panel for months
Ms Vella has been "crying for days" after losing about half the money she spent to book a dream $20,000 family holiday to Europe and Disneyland.
Jacqueline Vella, from Strathtulloh in Melbourne's outer west, booked a six-week holiday last October for her family of five to Europe and Disneyland.As the industry grapples with international travel bans, customers are becoming increasingly concerned about cancellation fees, and fear some agencies will become insolvent and be unable to honour travel credits given in lieu of refunds.
In 2014 state and federal governments abolished the Travel Compensation Fund which agents collectively funded to compensate would-be travellers when agencies collapse. The fund, which held about $30 million in 2012, was replaced by the Australian Federation of Travel Agents.
"Each airline has a different policy, as will each hotel and they vary widely in the current environment. We do not determine that a product we sell on behalf of a supplier is non-refundable," he said. The ASX-listed travel giant, which typically books around 10,000 tickets per day, will also look to close more than 400 stores.
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