The RAAA acknowledges that the issues around passenger consumer rights, and in particular flight delays and cancellations, can be highly emotive and frustrating for members of the travelling public who are directly affected. However, delays and cancellations are often the result of unavoidable safety issues and the problems which arise when servicing remote locations.
It is important to note that an Aviation Industry Ombuds Scheme, if it were to apply to regional airlines, has the potential to impact regional and remote communities across Australia and the regional airline operators who provide vital services to them in seriously adverse ways.
The RAAA stated in our submission that any Aviation Industry Ombuds Scheme should not apply to operators who operate predominantly on regional routes. Any Aviation Industry Ombuds Scheme needs to focus only on specific issues that it is intended to address and not be a catch-all approach that then has a range of unintended consequences for regional aviation organisations.