Tiger Airways: ‘Air Ways’ TV series premieres on Channel 7 on Tuesday, 14 July

[JohnK]

Overbooking was somewhat understandable 30 years ago when fares were high and flexible without penalty. Plenty of business flyers would hold a couple of seats on different flights 'just in case' they needed to change their plans.

Unfortunately this is one area where the law hasn't yet addressed a massive change in the way ticket contracts are made.

Today most fares on discount airlines are non-refundable. So it cuold be argued that a seat pruchased today allows the airline NO right whatsoever to overbook that seat. It is not like the airline can lose money by you not turning up (as it would have done 30 years ago).

It would be an interesting test case.

I'm not aware of any 'standard practice' clause which allows people to break contracts in other circumstances, so why should it apply to airline seats?

And as someone will raise the 'it's in the terms and conditions'... remember that terms and conditions are not binding if they contain an unfair clause(s). These can be struck out.

It could well be argued that overbooking a seat which has been paid for, with no chance of the passenger changing that seat or getting a refund, is unfair and not intentionally agreed to by the passenger.

Whether or not an airline would ever allow such a case to come before the courts would be another matter. The last thing they would want is an EU charter of rights.

Interesting point. True that most cheap airfars today are non-refundable but they can be changed up to the scheduled departure of the flight sometimes even later.

I turned up to the airport a little late for a QF flight with checked bags, even though I used OLCI, and was told I cannot get on that flight and had to go to the ticketing counter. I was charged $44 change fee to get on the next flight.

Also possible with non-refundable airfares is to be able to change to another flight again at the last minute. I don't want to fly out tonight so I will change the flight to tomorrow night or whatever. The airline has not lost money (and I have paid a change fee plus possibly the difference to a higher airfare) but they now have one less passenger on tonight's flight.

I don't disagree with the practice of overbooking flights and if the airline had to off-load passengers they need to have decent schedules in place so that people are not overly inconvenienced and if the passenger will be inconvenienced to provide a seat for them on another airline. First off an airline has to ask for volunteers to be off-loaded and pay reasonable compensation to them before starting to deny boarding to passengers at random. I think involuntary denied boarding is the term used.

And no I do not think it is a good idea for a LCC or a carrier with poor schedules (3 flights a week or similar) to overbook flights....

 

[pauly7]

And no I do not think it is a good idea for a LCC or a carrier with poor schedules (3 flights a week or similar) to overbook flights....

I actually have never in my flying life in Australia seen QF, DJ, JQ, Ansett (sob ahaha) pull anyone off a flight or call for people to get off so others as a part of a group could fly or seen them tell anyone a flight is overbooked and they will have to get the next flight....

Has anyone ever been in this situation recently with an Australian carrier?


(One exception - DJ staff didn't turn up so they flew with less FA's and had to deplane a stack of ppl - but that was different)

 

[munitalP]

I actually have never in my flying life in Australia seen QF, DJ, JQ, Ansett (sob ahaha) pull anyone off a flight or call for people to get off so others as a part of a group could fly or seen them tell anyone a flight is overbooked and they will have to get the next flight....

Has anyone ever been in this situation recently with an Australian carrier?


(One exception - DJ staff didn't turn up so they flew with less FA's and had to deplane a stack of ppl - but that was different)

+1 here, maybe I don't see it though because of my premium status on QF and silver on DJ?

Mr!

 

[jsd]

Hmmm...

The woman who missed her flight to ROK was looking at alternative flights on qantas.com, that sort of defeats the purpose of budget travel doesn't it?



Josh

 

[Saab34]

Looks like they are out of new footage. Repeats next week.

Tiger passengers behaving themselves perhaps? Did notice in tonight episode that it was filming from the last fortnight...

 

[samh004]

Tiger passengers behaving themselves perhaps? Did notice in tonight episode that it was filming from the last fortnight...

Seems like they don’t have that much footage of bad incidents then as only a few weeks ago they showed footage from the Gold Coast uni games which happened last year!

 

[ejb]

Looks like they are out of new footage. Repeats next week.

Tiger passengers behaving themselves perhaps? Did notice in tonight episode that it was filming from the last fortnight...

The people trying to get to Rockhampton were filmed last October.

It did seem like the last new episode tonight as they showed a montage at the and.

What will I watch next week.

ejb

 

[medhead]

Hmmm...

The woman who missed her flight to ROK was looking at alternative flights on qantas.com, that sort of defeats the purpose of budget travel doesn't it?



Josh

She had a business meeting the next day, I guess she stood to make more money from the business meeting than it would cost flying Qantas.

To me that was a prime example for something like the EU compensation rules.

 

[samh004]

I liked how badly it showed Tiger in light of the connecting Tiger flights where the first was late, booked under the one itinerary, and it still wasn’t Tigers fault.

They didn’t dwell on it long enough unfortunately, but I can’t imagine that gave a good impression for anyone thinking about connecting through another city and continuing on with Tiger.

 

[jsd]

She had a business meeting the next day, I guess she stood to make more money from the business meeting than it would cost flying Qantas.

I suppose so, but what about JQ or DJ, or maybe she did look at them but it wasn't shown

To me that was a prime example for something like the EU compensation rules.

Not when flying on TT, it's pretty clear in the conditions of carriage

4.1 General:
Fares apply only to carriage from the airport at the point of origin to the airport at the point of destination. Fares exclude ground transport services between airports and between airports and town terminals unless otherwise specifically stated by us. We are strictly a point-to-point carrier and shall not be responsible to you for any connecting flights. We shall not be liable to you for your failure to meet any connecting flights. Fares will be calculated in accordance with our Tariff in effect on the date of payment for the Booking Confirmation for the flight or flights concerned. Any approved flight change may be subject to additional payments due, as specified herein.

 

[jsd]

booked under the one itinerary.

Not possible, you can't have more than one domestic sector on one itinerary when flying with TT (with the exception of return bookings eg. HBA-MEL-HBA ), the only time that you can get a connecting sector on a Tiger Itinerary is on TR flight combos via SIN (eg. PER-SIN-HKT) but even then you have to collect your baggage and recheck


Josh

 

[tuppaware]

Whats with making those poor customers go to the back of the line every time. But that point I would of just paid for the extra kg.

 

[jsd]

I would have just paid the extra kg myself, he didn't seem too fussed about paying the $210 to get all 3 of them on the next flight


Josh

 

[samh004]

Not possible, you can't have more than one domestic sector on one itinerary when flying with TT (with the exception of return bookings eg. HBA-MEL-HBA ), the only time that you can get a connecting sector on a Tiger Itinerary is on TR flight combos via SIN (eg. PER-SIN-HKT) but even then you have to collect your baggage and recheck


Josh

Good point, they still suck.

Whats with making those poor customers go to the back of the line every time. But that point I would of just paid for the extra kg.

I did think that was a little silly, it’s not like there is a scales at the end of the line for them to check what weight their baggage is before re-lining up.

 

[medhead]

Not when flying on TT, it's pretty clear in the conditions of carriage

4.1 General:
Fares apply only to carriage from the airport at the point of origin to the airport at the point of destination. Fares exclude ground transport services between airports and between airports and town terminals unless otherwise specifically stated by us. We are strictly a point-to-point carrier and shall not be responsible to you for any connecting flights. We shall not be liable to you for your failure to meet any connecting flights. Fares will be calculated in accordance with our Tariff in effect on the date of payment for the Booking Confirmation for the flight or flights concerned. Any approved flight change may be subject to additional payments due, as specified herein.

That is why EU compensation rules are appropriate because compensation is required to be paid for the delay. The TT rules have no bearing on the requriement to pay the compensation, if similar EU rules applied here. (but there are exceptions when compensation may not be paid - exception circumstances etc.)

 

[Harry G]

I guess it is all about fine print - people NEVER read fine print.........

what these sorry fools have now realised is that if they DID their home work and were NOT dazzled by the Tiger Razzamatazz of cheap fares (and wow - how cheap are they when they miss their flights!! )
had they flown with say DJ or QF, they would be home and not on TV crying about how much it is going to cost them to get home, get extra bags on etc etc etc etc etc

If you have a lunch bag, don't care what time you leave or in fact, get back, your destination is really nowhere in particular, you don't want to be harangued by the AFP, argue with a script reading non customer service agent,don't fly Tiger - go to a proper airline!

 

[munitalP]

It is a little like the UK big brother Airline where EasyJet impost strict rules - Tiger are no different...

Tiger fall easily into my list of "no F'ing way will I fly with them" right along side Ryan and Garuda!

In saying that....

There's ~180 seats on the A320 - I would guess that 99% of the occupancy of that aircraft were happy and content with the (lack of) service received, made it to the airport on time for check in, didn't have (or just paid the difference) excess luggage and didn't abuse (not for lack of wanting to) the staff at check in or boarding.

Not taking it away from the families who were stranded due to Tigers poor performance on a previous flight (I dare say there would be a valid legal case in favour of the PAX if they chose), the majority of travellers on Tiger who we see on TV are either rude, stupid or stubborn to a point where I don't think any airline would give them any credence...

Mr!

 

[Harry G]

Re: Tiger Airways: �Air Ways� TV series premieres on Channel 7 on Tuesday, 14 Jul

correct.........
the legal bit..... people walking away from a $ 30 lost fare cannot be bothered with the re tape so to speak...
I would love to start a business - no win no fee (hang on someone does it don't they?) and rip TT into consumer affairs everytime they give the pax a going over......many think it is not worth chasing $ 30......... count up all the $ 30 and I bet you could make a living!
to be fair to crew....... eventhough they are very very young in many instances and certainly do not give you any confidence should an emergency arise, they are maybe keen to have started in the aviation industry.......but their employer in many instance puts imposts on them from their incesant cost cutting methods which sees many sectors with low stock levels on carts, planes not cleaned properly, be it near charging you for dunny paper soon, the pax has just experiended Aero Care check in and if the TV show is an indication - they are breathing fire from the nostrils so soon as they sit down and a crew member happens to stumble with something, the pax fires a broad side!

munitalP.......... you summed it up beautifully!!

if you tried it once - you would not do it again especially when you add up the hiddens and find it is as cheap to go with one of the other 3......

 

[pauly7]

Looks like they are out of new footage. Repeats next week.

Tiger passengers behaving themselves perhaps? Did notice in tonight episode that it was filming from the last fortnight...

LOL - you are joking right?!

Its the Easter ratings hiatus..... why would 7 waste new eps?

 

[HardieBoys]

It would appear that there are no shortage of disgruntled Tiger passengers willing to subject themselves to the dignity of reality TV cameras.

I wonder if this show is sponsored by the PR departments of Virgin and Qantas?