Hi Guys
I just want to share an experience I had with Tiger Airways recently which I think is quite out of line. I even went about complaining to them in an email but got no response. I was flying Tiger Airways from Adelaide to Melbourne on a Sale Fare, was still $89, with extra for 15kg of checked baggage. Due to a traffic accident on the way to the Airport we made it to the check in lounge with just 5 minutes to spare from their 45minute cut off time. Proceeded to check in myself, wife and 6 month old son and when we weighed our luggage we were 16.5kg, so 1.5kg over. So fair enough the girl tells us we need to take something out of the checked baggage as we only have 15kg paid for, what happens in the minutes immediately after this though was quite unnecessary. We were told we had 3 minutes to take 1.5kg out of our luggage, 1 minute later, after we had just opened out our luggage we were told we had 2 minutes or the baggage check in will close, then 1 minute later as we were closing our suitcase we were told we had 1 minute or they won't let us check in. Seriously, what kind of non-existent customer service is this? It's got to be the worst I've experienced and all during that final minutes my wife was carrying 2 bags and my 6 month old son and I was frantically trying to open the luggage to throw away one item. Can't they see that we're at the airport and that we're doing our best? Never will fly Tiger again and I suggest anyone who expects good customer service boycott that airline. Before they were grounded a few years back they were a decent service, heck sometimes they even let us on with 2kg over, but now all they want to do is try to get money from people. Exact words from check in girl: "Sir, you've got 30 seconds left to check in our you'll have to buy another ticket and wait for a different flight." Is that even legal?
Tiger Airways - I wish you'd see this and respond but I doubt that
Everyone else - BE WARNED!!!
To be honest, I'm surprised by the lack of sympathy for the op. As a family man myself with a young child I understand the pain of being on time, you can't control everything.
I for one sympathise and if I can make a few points.
1- we are talking about 1.5kg at $50? That's insane, especially when all you are doing is taking a jacket or something out of a bag and wearing it.
Honestly if we want to be fair by weight we should be paying for our total weight person and luggage. I know it's discrimination and all that but seriously, to really get bang for your buck you want to be a couple hundred pounds overweight when travelling
This is how regular cargo is calculated worldwide (not people)
2- common practise is 30mins close before checkout, counting down the seconds is extremely poor service. I am flying with tiger now because it's grand final weekend and flights were crazy expensive so but there was a 2 hour delay on the way here and currently a 30min delay on the way back to Melbourne and they have no such computer restrictions keeping them from giving this guy another minute
3- tiger is by way the most commonly delayed airline because of their poor business practise for example now allowing customers to checkin or self checkin at the airport online etc.. Which is common with every other airline now
4- there was nothing spotting the operator checking in the family while they took the extra weight out of their luggage. Weighing the gear could have easily been done after the deadline.
Yes the op should have been more organised, weighed his luggage etc.. But we are not really taking about that, we are talking about the poor customer service that we are deeming acceptable by this company.
To tiger I'd just like to say, as a frequent flyer with all airlines, I will avoid flying tigerair unless the fare is at least twice as expensive because of your poor customer service and business practise. I thought the make over would show me a new tiger but my current experience has ensured I will almost never fly tiger again.
Just (edit typo) my 12 cents :P