The Australian Travel Industry Association (ATIA) has announced enhancements to the market-leading ATAS complaints resolution process to allow for Non-Economic Losses to be considered to conserve time and costs for members and consumers.
The changes were necessitated by a recent High Court ruling (Moore v Scenic Tours Pty Ltd) that established that damages for “disappointment and distress” may now be available for breaches of Australian Law.
In response to this legal precedent, ATIA has taken a proactive stance by enhancing the Charter and ACAC terms of reference, allowing for consideration of damages up to $1,500 per complaint where an ATAS participant’s breach of the Code of Conduct has negatively impacted the complainant’s experience.
This approach will help prevent costly and time-consuming court matters for Members, reducing administrative workload and allowing ongoing focus on the business while ensuring customers’ concerns are heard by a body with a genuine understanding of the industry.
The ATAS Advisory Committee (AAC) considered the changes and approach extensively during its most recent meeting. The AAC is chaired by David Walker and co-chaired by Scott Darlow. Other volunteer members are Deb Fox, Ken Morgan, Steve Hui, Gina Norman, Chad Carey, Brett Mitchell, Brett Dann, and Lauren Gray. ATIA Director David Smith, ATIA CEO Dean Long, and ATIA Compliance Manager Nina Hedges also attended the March meeting.
