The perils of cheap air travel in Australia - Another Tassie tiger is on the way

That heading should be;

"Another Tassie Tiger on the way to extinction".

Cheers Mick

Yep,

they cancelled it. 7 coppers here now to keep the peace. Magically they'll get another plane to fly us out tomorrow night. They were right in sending the convicts down here...it's a damn hard place to get out of LOL.

I have to be the devils advocate and ask-why did you use them to book a flight? You'd only have to watch half an episode of "Airways" to realize this is a possibility?

I certainly wouldnt use them if travelling with kids or otherwise encumbered. Perhaps if travelling light only?

Mick they have so few aircraft operating in Aus that as soon as one breaks down or is delayed enough to hit the curfew problems encountered at various airports ya literally are stuffed, no replacement.

Bet they didn't offer to put you up at a hotel either. :-(

Bugga mate!!

As rule of thumb "YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR".

Watch Airways .. it seems to be a 30 minute doco on the failings of Tiger Air. Much easier in a 4WD. : )

Jack

Ah, it just so happens an episode of Airways last night featured exactly this, a non-flight from Launceston Airport to Sydney.

The flight was cancelled because.......another flight was late arriving and the aircrew required a rest break before flying again.
No arguments re the crew/passenger safety, but obviously Tiger's budget is that tight that no backup or replacement crew was available to staff the Launceston/Sydney flight that night.

We wouldn't choose Tiger Airways in a "flying fit", regardless of any cost savings.
We are more than happy with the reliability of Virgin or Qantas and budget their fares into any travel plans we make.


Bill.

Mick

Sorry to hear that you got the big stuff around..

Do they really filll each plane to capacity ?
That's it, there really isn't too many planes, in the sky.... they do not take off till they have 150% people waiting, some happy many angry.
I would have thought that filling a plane to capacity, is the golden rule, and getting to the destination is as important.


I cannot help but wonder, if that show on TV is actually sponsored by JetStar, and it's big brother QANTUS

Budget airlines at it's best.. no consideration, no customer service, and counter staff, with a head full of policy's..an dobviously scared to loose their jobs..

Cheers
Bucky

This is why both for work (retired now) and pleasure we flew only with the big Q and even then did not take the "specials". For an expensive flight its also worth thinking about travel insurance. Domestic as well. Not once in the last 23 years did we ever have any trouble. Join the clubs if you fly a lot. Great being able to walk straight on.

Fly cheap - you get cheap. Sorry but thats a fact of travel all over the world. All the airport shows show the same.

A bit of sympathy for the staff on the desk.

You try and dish out lousy service when you know its all you are allowed to give and know that you would hate to be in the shoes of the ones you are dishing it out to.

I am not questioning the accuracy of the posts, but my experience with Tiger does not support this. I have been using them almost since they started and before they were flying in Australia. Must have done around 20 flights with them in total. Only problem ever was a flight from Darwin to Singapore (when they did that route) that was about 3 hours late. At the time, the only Qantas flight Darwin/Singapore was abot $700. Tiger, a little less than $200. But their presence sure started to lead to a drop in prices ex Darwin for which I reckon everyone who lived in NT was very gratetful.
You do need to understand how they run the airline to keep prices at their levels, and you will find the details when you read the flight info. They don't have the range of staff available who can do lots of backup stuff at the airports if a schedule is disrupted. You must arrive at the airport earlier than other airlines and they close off flights earlier because their staff are needed elsewhere.
I totally disbelieve Bucky's statement that they hold planes on the ground until they are overfull with bookings, but they do have fewer routes and less backup planes available to bring in if there is a delay. Some of the problems aren't of their making. The silly terminal setup exit at Tullamarine was forced on them by other airlines.
No, I don't work for them and I regularly use other airlines as well. But I reckon the anti Tiger push is much over the top. Can't prove it (and certainly not suggesting it of the original post) but do wonder who promotes/gains from the whispering campaign.

Well an update for you.

I wish'd I had watched airways but I've not seen an episode yet but yes, there is a lesson there I'm sure. SWMBO booked the tickets as we had to pay for her extended family.

We left in disgust at 1.30 a.m. having managed to hire a car and secure accomodation. Many people simply hired a car and then slept in it in the carpark their reasoning being that even a Hyundai's seats are more comfortable than a concrete airport floor.

Launceston Airport Corporation (the owners) then tried to close the terminal at about the time we were leaving forcing everyone, including the elderly, out into the rain and cold. Thankfully the local police politely requested that they keep it open for the safety and wellbeing of the stranded passengers.

Having to work today, I managed to secure a flight out at 0630 this morning on Virgin Blue leaving the family behind. Tiger have said they will fly them out on their flight tonight. Funny that there is no flight scheduled at present and that their standard flight is fully booked. I'm very concerned that there will be a repeat of the previous nights debarcle so I'm doing what I can from this end now and getting nothing from Tiger I might add.

Cheers Mick (The tired)

I also think the anti Tiger stuff is just that...stuff!
I regularly fly around Australia for both work and private. I always pick the cheapest flight as they are all the same..buses in the sky!

The airline that I find more regularly lets me down is Qantas.

Regards

Mick,
I was talking to one of the taxi drivers here in Newcastle a few months back, he had picked me up from the airport from another airline. (Important piece of side information, Newcastle airport is 40 kilometres from the city in the middle of basically nowhere for a taxi)

His comment was the drivers are no longer going to the airport to meet a "scheduled" tiger flight as most times the plane just doesn't turn up. The driver is then left 40 kilometers from town without a fair and no real prospect of finding one!

There solution is to not bother until someone rings from the airport for a taxi.

Geoff

Why fly on an airline that is willing to see it’s customer service, or lack thereof, broadcast on a weekly TV show? The ‘fee’ they must be paid for this show must be worth more than the bad publicity it generates. And I’m sure that there are unreasonable customers, but why on earth would you want to ‘air’ this on a television show….

And think about that for a moment, Tiger (presumably) are making money out of demonstrating poor customer service on a weekly television show…..absolutely absurd!

Maybe that speaks to some of their ethics – Caveat Emptor I say…..

""Well here we are having an exciting stop over at Launceston airport. Unfortunately we took advantage of cheap air flights on Tiger and I have to say , the experience has been appalling. After being constantly lied to for the past 8 hours, our flight was due to depart at 5:50pm this afternoon, the scene is one of anger and frustration with about 180 people about to riot. The local police have arrived. Despite numbers of elderly people, pregnant women and quite a few small kids, Tiger have not provided any consideration for their passengers whatsoever. Water has to be taken out of the taps in the toilet, there is no food available and Tiger won't take responsibility for your flights if you leave the airport.""

I have copied and pasted the above from Mick O's post. (Hope you don't mind Mick, but your tale is exactly as family told me).

The reason for this is because my daughter, son-in-law and two little ankle-biters (5y & 12mths) were booked on the same flight yesterday.
They rang me at midnight to book them a flight out today, which I was able to do with Virginblue. They are now about to drive in to their home.

They can accept they took a chance with cheap flights. They didn't mind some delay, BUT THEY WERE PRETTY CHEESED OFF THAT THERE WAS NO HONEST EXPLANATION FROM TIGER (pity for the poor staff).

Whilst they were on the tel to me I looked up the Tiger website, and there were 'no delays', and flight times were (at midnight) still unchanged.

The family: - I rang a mate in Launceston @ 12.15 am , who picked them up, gave them a bed and a feed and had them back at the airport this morning.

SEEMS A BL**DY GOOD IDEA TO HAVE MATES, BUT NOT CHEAP AIRLINES, but then the airlines will probably cause their own downfall by continuing with c**p service.

Oh, by the way the family wont fly Tiger again..............................

This post has been read by the moderation team and has been moderated due to a breach of The Personal Attacks Rule .

Forum Moderation Team

I can assure you Quantas is no better - or Virgin.


ive seen Qantas just cancel flights at 10.00pm Virgin plabes delayed hours due to staff shortages

Jetstar passengers left trapped on a plane that had flown into perth for hours due to the Domestic terminal being shut

- its not just tiger.

My one experience with them saw me depart perth 5 min late but make the time up in the air and spot on time return trip

I’ve flown all the major and low cost airlines in Australia as well as more than a few of the regionals. I’ve had delays and cancellations with some of them over the years but the difference here is, there is no customer service what so ever. Jetstar, Qantas, Virgin Blue or Rex will generally (sometimes begrudgingly) will get you onto another carrier, provide accommodation and guarantee to get you out on the next available flight. Tiger however, even now, cannot tell us whether there is even a flight arriving at Launceston tonight. There are no Australian Based customer service options (all are routed to the Philippines), there are no regional based staff or contact numbers. There has been no communication by phone or text despite your contact details being a prerequisite of travel.

I’ve made three calls to the Tiger customer Service liner today in an effort to confirm that our booking number has been allocated seats on tonight’s possibly scheduled service. Here, in somewhat halting English were the three responses;

Response 1. – No you don’t have a seat as the flight is full already. Tiger will undertake to get you on the only daily flight sometime in the next SEVEN days or you can APPLY for a refund of your money. They will not pay any other reasonable costs such as alternative transport or accommodation.

Response 2 – There is no flight.

Response 3 – Yes you have a seat on that flight tonight but you’ll have to be at the airport 2 hours before and they’ll confirm it then. (I’m getting a feeling of déjà vu here!)

I’m sure many people have had a positive experience of Tiger and good luck to them. As far as the old adage “you get what you pay for”, I paid for a service. Something that a business advertised and promised to provide to me with. The matter is not the cost, it’s the simple fact that there was an expectation that a service would be provided rather than that business abrogated its responsibilities towards its paying customers. You cannot I would suggest, abandon 180 plus people to their fate in with a “Who gives a bleep ” attitude. Thankfully other passengers managed to get the 36 week pregnant woman a flight out on another carrier as did the 81 year old who sat in the terminal all night, Tiger making no effort to provide support, accommodation or even a taxi once they had opted onto another carrier. Tiger could not gaurentee a flight last night, only a turn up at 4.00 p.m. tomorrow and see what happens.

Being the eternal optimist, nine of us will line up with the hundreds of others tonight at 4.00 p.m. to see what transpires in respect to our 1750 flight (but not me as I’m already here and at work). I’ve also booked seats on the Spirit of Tasmania just is case (now they provided some real customer service).


Sure to be taking this one further, Mick.

Mick O , case your wondering ,reply 17 was not aimed at you or anyone else on this forum in any shape or form personally , twas a comment that you would be liable to recieve jumbo[as in big/many] comments stating that the buisness involved always knows best and in all likelyhood you as the customer somehow were in the wrong , LOL.

Sorry to hear your dramas Mick. Delays are simply a part of flying in machines that occasionally require unscheduled maintenance - the airlines don't delay you just for the sake of it. All the same (and one of the reasons they'll avoid delaying you if they can), as far as I understand, airlines do have certain requirements (and I believe they're legally binding - not just company policy) to provide a certain levels of care depending on the length of the delay. For short delays there is no requirement, but for delays of hours I understand they have to provide refreshments (or at least a voucher to assist in buying something at the airport cafés). As I understand, if there is an extended delay they are required to provide accommodation (as well as transport to/from the accommodation).

I've flown Business Class in Singapore Airlines and also in Tiger Airways and a number that would rank in between, and I'd have to say that Tiger seem to go out of their way, even in unimaginable ways, to make the experience feel very cheap - even to the point of the departure gate having less than 20 seats for the entire flight. They must have some very warped people in management!

I was just reading the blog of another guy who was having some Tiger problems.
Jason Chatfield
It's pretty long, and a bit blue in areas, but you just have to feel for anyone who is just abandoned like that when you have done all the right things.

I mostly fly Virgin - because it's generally the cheapest where I need to go. Not really any horror stories *touch wood*. Skywest over in WA is also pretty good.

This might cheer you up: Louis CK - everything's amazing and nobody's happy.

OK. Maybe not.

The end of the saga.

Tiger picked up all those stranded or remaining (130 or thereabouts) at Launceston at 8.15 p.m. last night. It was a separate flight to their normal daily service. Even that flight was over 2.5 hours late.

Now we’ll see how our claims go.

Cheers Mick

Mick,

Virgin has just had a plane delayed due to mechanical issues in Sydney (Sydney to Brisbane 9am flight). SWMBO has now missed the connecting Bus and is now trying to sort out a new schedule. Hopefully she will be able to get the 1:20pm bus from Brisbane Airport to Toowoomba where I'll pick her up. Just need to sort out what to do with the kids now :( Had it planned that the kids would be in School and Kindy, But that isn't going to work now.

Cheers Kev

Funny isn't it, if the OP was complaining about a cheap generator, all the response he would get is ..... "Well, you get what you pay for!"