Tigerair receives most complaints for sixth year in a row
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For the sixth year, Tigerair has scored the dubious title of being the most complained about airline in Australia. The recent data by the Airline Customer Advocate, from January to December 2017, which has gone largely unreported, revealed the low-cost carrier had the highest rate of complaints in relation to flight cancellations or delays — with an average of two complaints for every 100,000 passengers.
Overall, the most common complaints among Australian domestic carriers related to flight cancellations (28 per cent), refund requests (26 per cent), baggage services (11 per cent), loyalty and frequent flyer programs (10 per cent) and fees or charges (7 per cent).
The annual report revealed a total of 1253 complaints out of more than 77 million passengers were received in 2017, which was up 17.15 per cent on the previous year.
Tigerair also received the highest complaints in relation to refund requests — with an average of 1.54 complaints for every 100,000 passengers.
A Tigerair spokeswoman said the airline was committed to delivering a safe and reliable service to its customers.
“In aviation there are times when things go wrong for reasons outside of our control and we recognise that the way we handle such disruptions is an important part of the customer experience,” the spokeswoman said.
Virgin Australia was next with 0.42 complaints relating to refund requests, followed by Jetstar with 0.36, Qantas with 0.31 and Regional Express with 0.24.
Virgin Australia fared the worst when it came to complaints about baggage services, receiving an average of 0.24 for every 100,000 customers, It was followed by Jetstar and Tigerair with 0.17, Qantas with 0.14 and Regional Express with 0.08.
Of the three airlines that offer frequent flyer or loyalty programs, such as Qantas, Virgin Australia and Jetstar, the most complaints were lodged against Qantas. Airline Intelligence Research managing director and former Qantas chief economist Dr Tony Webber said he wasn’t surprised that cancellations and delays were the biggest gripes among passengers.
“Tigerair are on really strict turnaround times given that they’re a smaller and low-cost carrier,” Dr Webber told.
“This means that they’re just as strict on refunds because the ability for passengers to buy a cheap fare means that they don’t get a refund.”
Dr Peter Bruce, airline operations expert at Swinburne University, said some airlines outsource their baggage handling to third-party services.
“Tigerair are on really strict turnaround times given that they’re a smaller and low-cost carrier,”
“Areas of improvement could definitely include better engagement with these services to create more efficiency,” Dr Bruce told.
Monash University’s Professor Greg Bamber, who has researched airline performance in Australia and overseas for more than 15 years, said complaints needed to be handled better by low-cost carriers.
“Passengers aren’t being dealt with appropriately as they’re usually put through to a call centre which is usually in another country,” Professor Bamber told.
Passengers are usually left to wait on hold, in some cases more than an hour, he said.
“Low-cost carriers need to step up and handle complaints more appropriately, especially when it comes to cancellations which can be extremely frustrating.”
A Virgin Australia spokeswoman said the airline continually reviewed its complaint-handling practices to facilitate a responsive and positive experience for its customers and to ensure it was complying with its legal obligations.
A Jetstar spokesman said the airline still had areas to work on, but was pleased to see a reduction in the number of complaints in a number of key areas including delays and cancellations, refund requests and fees or charges.
Questions & Answers
Q.What was the most common complaint category for Australian domestic carriers in 2017?
What was the most common complaint category for Australian domestic carriers in 2017?
Flight cancellations were the most common complaint, accounting for 28 per cent of all complaints. This was followed by refund requests at 26 per cent, and baggage services at 11 per cent.
Q.How many total complaints did the Airline Customer Advocate receive in 2017?
How many total complaints did the Airline Customer Advocate receive in 2017?
A total of 1253 complaints were received by the Airline Customer Advocate in 2017. This number was an increase of 17.15 per cent compared to the previous year.
Q.Which airline had the highest number of complaints regarding baggage services?
Which airline had the highest number of complaints regarding baggage services?
Virgin Australia fared the worst for baggage services complaints, with an average of 0.24 complaints per 100,000 customers. Jetstar and Tigerair followed with 0.17 complaints each.
Q.Why might low-cost carriers like Tigerair struggle with refund requests?
Why might low-cost carriers like Tigerair struggle with refund requests?
According to Dr Tony Webber, low-cost carriers are strict on refunds because the ability for passengers to buy a cheap fare often means they do not get a refund. They operate on tight turnaround times.
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