Australia to penalise foreign airlines for delay

Sydney, Mar 24: The Australian Government has warned all foreign airlines that they risk attracting a penalty of up to 8000 Australian dollars per person for delayed flights, 1800 dollars for lost luggage and 180,000 dollars as compensation for injury or death in a plane crash under new laws proposed to be introduced by it. The changes, introduced to Parliament by the Transport Minister, Anthony Albanese, on March 23, would bring Australia in line with signatories to the Montreal Convention, an agreement between 86 countries, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.

Under the old system, a passenger who lost their luggage would have to prove the carrier was at fault. If Australia ratifies the convention, the same passenger would now receive up to 1800 dollars, no questions asked. Australia's biggest airline Qantas has approved the changes. Australia is the only OECD country not to have ratified the convention, which was made law in the US, China, Japan and New Zealand in 2003 and most of the European Union in 2004.

ANI