Lawsuit hopefully an eye-opener for AirAsia

Came across a news article in Malaysiakini with some comments on AirAsia's operations:


YOURSAY 'Please don't be penny wise and pound foolish by continuing with promo prices we never get to see. Don't spoil a good brand, please.'

AirAsia blindsided by fares issue

Vijay47: In all fairness to AirAsia, I do not understand this ‘hidden costs' issue. Sure, there is often a difference between the sensational advertised price and the final amount payable but remember that not all tickets even for the same destination on the same day cost the same - the early bird catches the cheaper worm.

Most importantly, the final price is always stated before you enter your credit card details. How can you then claim to feel cheated? AirAsia is not SIA (Singapore Airlines) - it is a budget airline that operates to make some profit, it is not a charity.

Having said that, I feel AirAsia is cunning in its inclusion of insurance almost without our knowing. It should be ‘Click to include', not the reverse.

They should also ponder why CEO Tony Fernandes is personally attacked so much, something that does not occur with other airlines. Perhaps people fear that Tony is another Tajudin Ramli in the making, especially with the AirAsia-MAS hook-up.

And owning an EPL (English Premier League) team does not help either.

Malaysiasakit: AirAsia blindsided by what? Incompetent executives or by the company's greed? Even if you start a milk bar (kedai runcit) in Australia, you need to observe legal requirements on price labelling, food safety, signage and licensing, etc.

How a public-listed company do business in a foreign country without proper legal due diligence is beyond me.

Meanwhile, the company is stuffing up travel plans of customers who booked tickets for London, Paris, New Delhi and Mumbai. Don't expect us to believe this is an oversight.

Onyourtoes: See, when issue like this emerge, it is always the technical glitch or an IT issue. It is not just AirAsia, almost all corporations are like that - things which are not in their immediate favour, it is glitches and IT issues while things to their favour, they never make mistakes or have any glitches.

By the way, it is not sufficient just to be "in full compliance with all the applicable laws". That is the minimum requirements that everyone must adhere to.

Corporations need to do more than that - is this not what most of the corporate bigwigs were talking about all the time, social responsibility and being fair and even-handed with consumers and customers?

Wanderer: This is a typical response from Malaysian-owned companies - play ignorant and that means ‘innocent' from fault.

Why not have the courage to admit the mistake and promise to remedy the situation with a sincere apology to its customers?

AirAsia, your response is not good enough. Show responsibility and sincerity.

Clever Voter: AirAsia would have realised by now the meaning of responsible business. You can dazzle the local public with much PR (public relation) messages, but not in the more advanced societies.

This is a good lesson for this so-called low-cost airline. I am always wary of their business model and cost structure. You can fool some but not everyone.

WeCANLive: Again I am stressing this. The ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) is not an Australian watchdog. It's just wanting to protect Australian interests.

All of you all talk so much. Why not you go online and book a ticket to Sydney and tell me whether any other airline has a cheaper return fare to Sydney. Then you start talking to me.

Yes, definitely there are hidden costs - how do you expect an airline to be profitable. If you want real cheap, do not pre-confirm seat numbers; do not book the bus ride; do not eat.

Kgen: Don't take us for morons. Do you think the ACCC will take legal action over a temporary computer glitch? Deceptive fare pricing is something AirAsia has indulged in from day one.

They make it particularly hard for people to compare prices between airlines. AirAsia needs to hide their real price because they practise a sliding scale pricing depending on when you book.

Those who book early get good prices while latecomers are charged more then regular airlines. Shame on AirAsia for not being transparent on prices.

As for their service, it is really the pits. If you need to contact them to correct something which may not be your fault, God help you because you'll be psychologically, mentally and physically traumatised by AirAsia staff.

Bob Teoh: How many lies need AirAsia have to tell - that it was not aware of the incomplete pricing information until the Australian authorities filed a case against it? Come on, AirAsia's promotion pitch has always been like that from day one.

If that's not enough, it now blames a computer glitch. Tony, why can't you just display an all-in price and let passengers whether they still want to fly with AirAsia. I bet they will still fly with you.

This will also make easier on your booking software and save passengers doing all the unnecessary numerous clicks.
Please don't be penny wise and pound foolish by continuing with promo prices we never get to see. Don't spoil a good brand, please.

GoneBananas: Being up-front in business is the only way to go. Thanks for giving AirAsia a smack on the wrist on behalf of all customers who have been pissed off about their sneaky ways for years, but don't have the legal resources to take legal action against corporate malfeasance and greed.

Jeremy Ng: AirAsia may be cheaper, even after adding all the other charges. But their promotional tag lines are obviously misleading.

Take the example of the very low promo fare advertised which you find it difficult to get. As a responsible corporation, maybe AirAsia should indicate the number of seats offered at this price. Without this, it is opened to abuse and cheating.

As a marketing tool, it does attract many consumers attention and interest. It is time our local authorities take the lead from the Australian suit to implement some controls to stop AirAsia and others from misleading consumers.

Ksn: Now that AirAsia is caught with its pants down, please do not come up with cock-and-bull stories. Start now to quote prices, to and fro, including minimum baggage - checked in and hand - one meal and airport charges. That is basic.

Charge for other services at reasonable rates. Do not charge for telephoning AirAsia and website booking, which is pure nonsense.

Start now because you have a lot of lost credibility to redeem. My view is that with transparency, you can do better business and do not forget there are other options for travelers in and from the region, may be paying a little more.

Give it some serious thought, Tony. This issue with Australia should be an eye-opener for you and AirAsia.

Anonymous_3da0: The only reason they're taking this seriously is that it is a legal action filed in Australia.

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