Come on, it is not easy being the front line staff. Why make their day miserable by scolding them as if they were the ones that cause the trouble or delay?
Tiger Airways’ management did owe the passengers an explanation and a certain amount of compensation. It could have offered refreshments while they waited. Communication during such incidents is crucial to maintaining goodwill and their image.
The passengers were rightfully upset, but to have staged a sit-in was disgraceful. They could have claimed compensation for their inconvenience if they had bought travel insurance.
I was reminded of the Chinese citizens who did something similar in Hong Kong for a delayed flight.
The passengers shamefully held the Tiger Airways plane and its crew hostage.
They were no different from terrorists. Where was the grace under fire?
Have realistic expectations
Source: The Straits Times 7 Jul 2012
TRAVELLERS complaining about the shortcomings of budget carriers should be aware that these airlines can offer low prices only by standardising their products, which are essentially seats and weight allowances, which can be chargeable, for hand-carried and check-in luggage (‘No solution from budget airline despite 10 calls, two hours’ talk time’ by Mr David Yeo, Forum Online, yesterday; and ‘Budget airline’s extra charge for wheelchair users is unfair’ by Mr Colin Michael Poole; Tuesday).
Their modus operandi is similar to that of fast-food restaurants, which offer relatively affordable and standardised products.
The fees charged by budget airlines for non-standard services, such as bulky luggage or wheelchair passenger facilitation, bear out the principle of uniformity of budget airlines.
I doubt budget carriers station their own staff in overseas stations as station managers. The job is likelier to be outsourced. This also means that the role of such representatives is restricted to narrower confines.
Travellers with ‘non-typical’ luggage, which is best understood as anything not in the form of a travel case or bag, such as prams, wheelchairs, bulky consumer electronic products and sports equipment, are better served by full service, or legacy, airlines like Cathay Pacific, Qantas and Singapore Airlines.
Such airlines charge a premium because of the resources they commit to meeting passengers’ needs, from employing their own staff at overseas stations to handling almost all manner of check-in luggage.
Finally, travellers should note that budget carriers typically offer low prices for advance ticket purchases. Booking closer to the travel date, the price advantage budget carriers offer is diminished, or negligible.
However, this long-term commitment is not necessarily reciprocated by the airlines due to their high plane use; a delay in one flight will affect subsequent flights since the same aircraft is used. A spare plane and back-up crew for service recovery are rarely available for quick deployment.
Alvin Tan
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