Australia's Qantas Airways agreed to pay 120 million Australian dollars ($79 million) to settle a regulator lawsuit over the sale of thousands of tickets on already canceled flights, in an attempt to end a reputational crisis that has engulfed the airline.
The company will split AU$20 million between more than 86,000 customers who booked tickets on the so-called ghost flights and pay a AU$100 million fine instead of defending the lawsuit that it had previously vowed to fight, Qantas and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said on Monday.
The fine is the biggest ever for an Australian airline and among the largest globally in the sector, although some Australian banks and casino operators have faced higher penalties for breaches of the law.