By Jane E. Fraser
Ilustration: Michael Mucci.
The low-cost carrier has convinced authorities its planes are safe to return to the skies but there is work to be done to repair its service reputation.
Not only will the safety question float in travellers' minds for some time; the airline has an awful lot of work to do on its service reputation if it wants to convince us it is here to stay.
I can place my trust in the Civil Aviation Safety Authority when it comes to the safety aspects but I would still take a lot of convincing to book a ticket.
I took my first flight with Tiger just before it was grounded and experienced, like so many others before me, the blunt end of the airline's "customer service".
I booked an overnight trip between Sydney and the Sunshine Coast and it was certainly cheap, with fares of $39.95 each way, although the total bill came to $104.90 by the time I had paid $5 each way to choose my own seat and another $15 "convenience fee" because I didn't have an "Australian-issued MasterCard debit card" (I wonder how many people do?).
Still, at about $50 a flight, we're definitely talking cheap. And this is, of course, Tiger's main selling point, as it has been keen to remind consumers.
But then came the catch.
Two days before I was due to depart, I received an email from Tiger saying the "departure time" of one of my flights had changed.
It took me some time to realise it was more than a minor time change; my Wednesday flight had turned into a Thursday flight.
In other words, the Wednesday flight had been cancelled.
Flight cancellations have been one of the biggest criticisms levelled at Tiger and I fell victim the first time I booked.
Government statistics for May, which are the most recent available figures not affected by the volcanic ash cloud from Chile, show Tiger cancelled more flights than any other domestic airline, with 3.5 per cent of its flights cancelled for the month, compared with Qantas at 1.1 per cent, Virgin at 1.2 per cent and Jetstar at just 0.8 per cent.
I booked onto another flight, rearranged my week and arrived at the airport a couple of days later to discover my flight was delayed "due to the late arrival of the aircraft".
It eventually took off an hour and 20 minutes after the scheduled departure time; not an insubstantial delay. It was another case of life mirroring the statistics.
Tiger has an appalling record for on-time performance, with only about 74 per cent of its flights taking off on time in May, compared with about 87 per cent for market leader Qantas and about 81 per cent for low-cost competitor Jetstar.
Once I was onboard the Tiger flight, all was well.
The crew was friendly, the aircraft was in good condition and the catering options were comparable in quality and price to other domestic carriers.
But it was not enough to overcome my decision to never book Tiger again, where there was a viable alternative.
Yes, cheap is great but unless you have very flexible plans, you have to consider the cost and the inconvenience attached to delays and cancellations.
Even when you are on holiday, you generally have arrangements and what you save on a cheap fare can be more than outweighed by lost travel bookings and additional expenses when flights are delayed or cancelled.
I had to reschedule several commitments as a result of my cancelled flight and it could have been a lot worse.
After returning home, I heard reports of yet more Tiger-inflicted chaos, with the Friday flight on the Sydney-Sunshine Coast route also cancelled that week.
Travellers trying to go away for the weekend were left stranded and passengers reported losing hundreds of dollars' worth of travel arrangements.
The following week, the Wednesday flight was cancelled yet again, leaving more travellers out of pocket.
Some argue that you get what you pay for and if you're booking super-cheap fares you shouldn't expect too much.
But I believe this is missing the point of what a low-cost carrier is meant to represent, which is a no-frills service to get you from Point A to Point B.
You shouldn't expect much in the way of onboard service but it is reasonable to expect to get to Point B at roughly the time you're meant to be there.
Fares 'unfair'
Tiger Airways says its Australian competitors raised their fares by more than 30 per cent during the time it was grounded.
Quoting the federal government's domestic air fare indexes, Tiger wrote to its customers saying “we don't think that's fair”.
“Our mission is to be a safe, reliable airline that enables ALL Australians to go the places they want to go at a price they can afford to pay,” the statement said.
jane@janeefraser.com.au
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