Can I get compensation for a cancelled flight from Australia?

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One reader is struggling to get money back on a flight from Perth (iStock)

Q My sister-in-law recently had a direct flight from Perth to London cancelled two days before flying. The next direct flight was two days later. Qantas have told her they don’t do compensation for cancelled flights and that she should apply for compensation through travel insurance. Is that true?

Pete P

A Well, where to begin? I imagine it was infuriating for your sister-in-law. Perth to Heathrow on flight QF9 is the only nonstop link between Australia and the UK. Passengers pay a premium for getting from the Western Australian capital to London in a single overnight flight.