Relax - Tiger Airways tackles customer woes head-on

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Tiger Airways tackles customer woes head-on

The Straits Times | Thu, Sep 17 2009

New taskforce gets feedback from 500 existing, potential customers; more sessions in the pipeline

Tiger Airways tackles customer woes head-on

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TIGER Airways has established a new taskforce to address customer issues, even as the Singapore- based airline welcomed its 10-millionth passenger yesterday as part of its fifth anniversary celebrations.

The Tiger Taskforce, which was set up just over a week ago, has already collected feedback from more than 500 existing and potential customers.

Senior staff from the budget carrier recently met an initial focus group of three chosen from the 500, with more such meetings planned.

“In response to customer feedback, we decided to start listening directly to our customers,” said managing director Rosalynn Tay, who added that the issues discussed include customer service and product offerings.

However, she declined to comment on what changes would result from the feedback collected, other than saying these would be rolled out “soon”.

Complaints against low-cost carriers in general have been increasing – 172 complaints were received by the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) in the first eight months of this year alone as against the 157 received in the whole of last year.

Common grouses include flight delays, the problems encountered in obtaining a refund, and difficulties in contacting the airline.

Case executive director Seah Seng Choon advised consumers to note that budget airlines may not have a specific person to deal with customer complaints, thus taking them a while to be resolved. “The airline will reply but it usually takes a long time, and that is what consumers are not happy about.”

Such customers include Ms Evangeline Tay, who wrote to The Straits Times Forum on Monday, frustrated after numerous attempts to contact Tiger Airways when she wanted to cancel her booking. She was contacted by the carrier only a week after she wrote to the comments and feedback page of Singapore Airlines, which owns 49 per cent of Tiger.

But these complaints have not hindered Tiger from being among Changi Airport’s top 10 airlines, by passenger carriage, for the last five years.

The budget airline has grown from just two aircraft flying three routes out of Singapore in 2004, to a fleet of nine flying to 19 destinations.

With 10 million passengers carried, Tiger is far ahead of local rival Jetstar Asia, which was set up at around the same time. Jetstar Asia carried its five- millionth passenger earlier this year.

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