Originally Posted by
number_6
By law they could fly F pax in Y with zero refund as the ticket is for getting to destination and not class of service (shocking but this is how all airlines have now worded their tickets)
No, no they couldn't. The very CoC you linked to states that :
If we need to ask you to downgrade for any reason, we will at your option:
* provide you with an appropriate refund of the difference in fares (or an appropriate credit of Qantas Points in the event that you are travelling on a Qantas Frequent Flyer Award), or
* accommodate you on a reasonable alternative available flight on our services.
This seems to make the table linked earlier in breach of their CoC as it's clearly not based on actual fares (if only because fares are variable, not fixed).
The catch with "difference in fare" is of course which fares you use - logic would say that if you purchased the cheapest Premium Economy fare on the day, then you should be compensated with (at least) the difference between that and the lowest Economy fare available on the day. Qantas may not agree with this, but I'm sure the ACCC would.