Webjet Group has agreed to pay a $9 million penalty after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) alleged it misled customers for five years by failing to clearly disclose mandatory fees in its airfare advertisements. The ACCC launched legal action in November 2024, claiming Webjet’s marketing across social media, emails, its website, and mobile app breached consumer law by omitting compulsory charges such as a “Webjet servicing fee” and “booking price guarantee” fee, which ranged from $34.90 to $54.90 per booking.
In addition to the penalty, Webjet will contribute $100,000 to the ACCC’s legal costs and publish a corrective notice on its website for 60 days. The company has also committed to maintaining a compliance program to prevent future breaches.
Webjet will record the financial impact of the penalty in its statutory income statement for the fiscal year ending 31 March 2025. The expense will be classified as non-operating and excluded from Underlying EBITDA.
The ACCC said the settlement reinforces the need for clear, transparent pricing in the travel industry.
