Kangaroo route to operate as scheduled - Qantas

Christmas industrial action by British Airways cabin crew will have “no impact” on partner Qantas’ services between the UK and Australia.

The Australian carrier’s group executive government and corporate affairs David Epstein said the airline’s first priority was to its customers, including those booked on code share services operated by BA.

“All Qantas services between Australia and the UK will operate as scheduled over the Christmas and New Year period,” he said.

“The action does, however, have the potential to disrupt the travel plans of Qantas customers booked on BA services.

“We have determined we have sufficient capacity across the 12 days to accommodate Qantas ticketed passengers booked on BA code share flights between Australia and the UK on existing Qantas services.

“This will provide certainty for Qantas customers travelling to and from the UK.”

Qantas will provide alternative options, where possible, for other affected passengers, such as those booked on BA services into Europe out of London.

These will include allowing changes to bookings without penalty and, on some routes, opportunities to travel on other carriers.

Customers will be contacted over coming days regarding their options.

Some flexibility may be needed regarding changes to travel dates and times, Qantas cautioned.

“We will continue to liaise with BA regarding its plans for the period between 22 December and 2 January, and closely monitor what further action we can take to minimise impacts on our customers,” Epstein added.