Qantas' budget airline Jetstar will cease making any default selections for customers in its Web booking interface, following an agreement with the competition watchdog.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's announcement comes a day after it said Virgin Australia had agreed to stop selecting travel insurance as a default for travellers who use its online booking system.
The ACCC said from 1 July, 2017, Jetstar would no longer select checked baggage, seat selection, travel insurance and charity donations on its online booking platforms as default options.
“The ACCC has been concerned that the ‘opt out’ model has seen a number of consumers unintentionally pay for unwanted ‘pre-ticked’ extras,” ACCC chairman Rod Sims said.
{loadposition sam08}“Jetstar’s announcement is another step forward in the ACCC’s continuing effort to end pre-selection conduct in the Australian airline industry.
“The ACCC will continue to engage with the remaining domestic airlines that still pre-select extras, and urge them to follow suit.
“The ACCC will also turn its attention to international airlines operating within Australia which continue to pre-select extras."