Australians attempting to return home are complaining that international airlines are cancelling tickets of economy customers in order to offer more business and first-class seats, as operators look to boost profitability while complying with Australia’s strict passenger arrival caps. The accusations against several international airlines, which have been made since the caps were introduced and then tightened in July, have been denied by several operators. Melbourne is not currently accepting international flights. The family, who has requested anonymity out of concern of being moved off their replacement flight, had purchased four economy tickets that transited through Dubai. “We continue to follow the Australian government’s directive to restrict capacity on all inbound international flights until 8 August 2020,” the spokesman said.

Source: The Guardian August 06, 2020 17:26 UTC