A grieving Queensland family forced to spend thousands of dollars on replacement flights to attend a funeral after being refused boarding by a Qantas worker has accused the airline of showing an ‘inherent lack of empathy’.
Ferdous Mohammad, from Mackay, booked flights for the family to visit her mother in south India in early August after learning she had just days to live.
She spent close to $9,000 on last-minute Qantas flights for herself, her husband and their three children to travel to Hyderabad and say goodbye. Ms Mohammad’s mother died hours before the family left Australia.
The family’s flight, which was booked through a travel agency, was due to depart Mackay Airport at 6am on August 1.
It would get them to India in time for Ms Mohammad’s mother’s funeral, which was scheduled for August 2 in keeping with cultural traditions.
However, when the Mohammad family arrived at the Qantas check-in desk, Ms Mohammad said a staff member told her they could not fly because she had not completed a mandatory Ebola health declaration for her 10-year-old twins.
She claimed the worker ‘flatly refused’ to allow her time to complete the online form. As a result, the family was unable to check in and missed the flight.
The Daily Mail understands there are significant penalties for non-compliance with India’s entry and health regulations, and the family did not have time to complete the form before check-in closed.
Ferdous Mohammad (pictured) spent nearly $20,000 on emergency flights to take her family to India for her mother’s funeral
She said she was forced to buy new tickets after a Qantas worker refused to check in the family because the mandatory Ebola health declaration had not been completed
She later believed she would be eligible for a refund but was told her family had been recorded as ‘no-shows’
The declaration form must be completed up to 24 hours before arrival in India, according to the Smart Traveller website.
Desperate to make it to India in time for her mother’s funeral, an emotional Ms Mohammad went online and booked new flights for that afternoon; the last-minute tickets cost more than $11,000.
She said nobody asked about the health declaration forms until she arrived in Hyderabad, where she was handed a small form that took only seconds to complete.
Certain the Qantas agent had made a mistake, Ms Mohammad assumed she’d be able to get a refund, but was told her family had been logged as ‘no-shows’.
Her travel agency told her the tickets were non-refundable, but that she may be able to get a few hundred dollars in taxes refunded.
‘If I was not at the airport, I’d be happy to take responsibility – but I was there,’ she told 9News.
‘All up, I paid $20,000 just to travel that day, and for my mum I can do anything, but I just don’t want to know that I’m flushing $9,000 for no reason.’
It is understood the ‘no-show’ status is generated automatically when passengers do not travel and is not determined by airline staff.
She said she appealed to staff at Mackay Airport for help through the stressful ordeal
Qantas is now issuing Ms Mohammad a refund through her travel agency
While Qantas has now confirmed they will issue Ms Mohammad a refund through the travel agency, she said she doesn’t just want her money back, she wants to ensure no other family experiences the same ordeal.
She launched a Change.org petition calling for airline staff to receive training on handling emergency travel situations after facing what she described as ‘an enormous emotional and financial burden due to the insensitivity of Qantas Airways’.
‘I have received an overwhelming response from people across Mackay and Queensland sharing similar distressing experiences with Qantas,’ Ms Mohammad told the Daily Mail.
‘A common theme is a feeling of helplessness. Passengers naturally rely on airport signage and ground crew for direction, so when front-line staff become a source of conflict, travelers are left without clear recourse or guidance on how to lodge a complaint.
‘I hope this coverage continues to encourage passengers to speak up regarding fair treatment and consumer rights.’
A Qantas spokesperson confirmed Ms Mohammad will receive the refund through her travel agency.
‘We understand this was a distressing situation for the family, given the circumstances of their travel. Unfortunately, due to regulatory requirements we are unable to check customers in for flights to India without the completed health declaration,’ the spokesperson said.
‘As check in was closing, our team did the best they could to support the customers in the limited time available but unfortunately, the declaration was not able to be completed in time.’
The Daily Mail has contacted Ms Mohammad’s travel agency for comment.
