Passengers Lament Costly Flight Delays

I have never in all the time I have been flying domestically in Indonesia been lucky enough to snag a reduced airfare and this was probably because I am a bule. They can be had if patience is one of your virtues.

The competition at the moment between domestic airlines in Indonesia has got beyond the fierce point. Having said that, if you wanted to hop over to Java, or another island for a day or two, then your choice of airlines out of Bali is quite good and reasonably priced.

But there is one thing that I hate about domestic flights besides the crap boxes of food they give you on the flight and that is flight delays. Back in the late 80s I was stuck in the airport in Jakarta for 10 hours and it was simply over a mix up in flight times. I might add it wasn't my fault!.

There was a fabulous article in the JP yesterday which epitomises exactly what I have been talking about as well as obtaining a reduced cost in your flight.

Aliardo has camped out for more than six hours at Surabaya's Juanda Airport waiting to return to Jakarta to finish a job due the next morning.

The 27 year old media researcher told The Jakarta Post the cut-price fare he had paid for an Air Asia ticket was not worth the delay.

For most travellers competition in the budget sector between airlines like Air Asia, Lion Air, Adam Air, Kartika Airlines and Sriwijaya Air has made it considerably cheaper to fly. However with cheaper fares come lower standards of service - delays, rude stewardesses, unpalatable food and other annoyances.

"This will be my first and last time flying with this airline" Aliardo said.

He initially planned go by train back to Jakarta but changed his mind because he had to report to his boss early the next morning.

"I took this 5 p.m. flight so that I could arrive at my office early to finish the job the next morning. I've waited until 10 p.m. and there is still no sign the plane will depart" he said.
Aliardo bought a ticket for Rp 424,000 four hours before departure time. "It was a lot cheaper than to go by train which costs around Rp 300,000 although it takes much longer. But because of the delay I wish I had never flown in the first place."

Waiting for the same flight precious stones dealer Adjab Khan said he had complained about the delay to Air Asia staff.
"They told us the plane had engine trouble. We have had to wait so long for another flight from Bali because of the bad weather there."

Adjab said the airline should have had another back-up service ready.

"The flight crew patronized us by saying they would compensate passengers for the delay by handing out boxes of food to everyone" he said angrily.

"My friend invited me to have dinner with him in Jakarta. But I have had to cancel the plan. Instead I have spent the evening waiting here and what a waste of time."

Another passenger, Henry Pribadi, said the airline's officers rejected his request for a discount.

"I paid Rp 424,000 for a 5 p.m. flight. However the tickets for the 10:20 p.m. flights only cost Rp 318,000. The airline should have refunded me the difference but it didn't" he said.

Businessman Fadjar who travels by air two to three times a month said cheap tickets could be a boon and a burden.
"The low fares save me money but you can't expect good services from the airlines" he said.

Fadjar said he had experienced delays many times. "I once had to cancel a meeting with an important client when a Lion Air plane supposed to take me to Batam from Jakarta was delayed for two hours" he said.

He said many times airlines did not properly inform passengers about the delays.

"Normally, you only find out by reading the departures board or by hearing an announcement over the speaker system. No airline staff ever talk to you personally to say sorry or offer decent compensation" he said.

"The box of food they give you in return for the delay is not worth the time you waste."

Fadjar said he had been told most of the delays were due to operational not technical problems. "What are operational problems anyway? I am suspicious that budget airlines wait for all their tickets to sell out before they let their planes take off" he said.

Howeve an accountant Yoga Dilianto still preferred budget fares to the full-price tickets from bigger carriers.

"I can't afford to spend much money travelling every month. But the low prices help get me around" he said.

The 29 year old said he would continue to fly with Adam Air despite having to wait an extra two hours at Soekarno-Hatta Airport for his flight. "This is the only kind of ticket I can afford" he said.

Heavy competition between budget airlines has led to a protracted price war which forces airlines to cut back services to the bare minimum.

Air Asia spokeswoman Jovita said the company was compensating passengers for flight delays. Jovita said normally passengers on delayed flights were put on the next available service. "We generally reschedule the times and see which planes are available" she said.

"If the delay happens at night we normally give the passengers a free dinner or lunch if it happens at noon" she said.

Sudaryatmo from the Indonesian Consumers Foundation said many consumers had complained about bad services from budget airlines.

"Most of them complain about delays especially on afternoon and evening flights" he said.

Consumers were supposed to benefit and not suffer from increased competition Sudaryatmo said.

"Airlines shouldn't neglect customers just because they buy cheap tickets."

He urged the Transportation Ministry to tighten its regulation of the budget sector. Many delays are caused by engine problems and plane rerouting because of overcrowded air lanes.

Sudaryatmo said people had the right to demand refunds because of delays.

"You can't just equate the time lost with a box of food."