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LOW COST IT WAS NOT I am a frequent flyer of Air Asia having taken hundreds of flights in the past, and wish to highlight the following skulduggery.
As usual I checked in via the web and printed my
boarding pass, noting the 1950 flight time and my seat number for flight FD505 (Hong Kong to Bangkok) on August 25.
On passing through immigration (I only had hand luggage) the officer pointed to a note at the top of my form that I hadn’t noticed, which said: “This is not a boarding pass”. I immediately went back to the check-in counter, arriving more than 35 minutes before the flight “officially” departed, and asked them to verify my passport. However, the supervisor said the flight had closed for check-in one hour before take-off and they couldn’t process me. Of course I remonstrated, pointing out that I had already checked in so this was only required as a “document check”. I also mentioned that the incoming flight hadn’t yet landed so I had plenty of time to catch the flight – but to absolutely no avail.
I asked to speak to the manager but he refused to speak to me for more than 40 minutes, by which time it was obviously too late. When he did speak to me, all he could say was that I should check the conditions of my ticket and I would have to buy a new ticket. I had no choice but to pay the exorbitant last-minute price for a ticket – almost three times the price of my original ticket. I subsequently complained to Air Asia
but received a standard response saying it was my own fault but they would credit me with the cost of the flight I missed (only a third of the price of the replacement). They instructed me to go through an elongated process to obtain the refund, which I did. However, I still have not received any credit, I can only assume that this is a further deliberate ploy to avoid issuing any refunds. Michael Binney, Hong Kong
AIR ASIA RESPONDS: We have looked into the feedback submitted by Mr Binney and wish to share the findings of our internal investigation. Guests departing to certain destinations are subject to document verification as required by immigration regulations. These guests will receive a printed notification informing them to proceed to the counter at the airport when they print their boarding pass at a kiosk or at home. The top right-hand corner of the notification will bear a clear message: “This is not a boarding pass”.
The notification will also display the exact timing for the guest to be at the baggage drop counter or document check counter, depending on whether they have checked baggage, along with the gate closing time for their convenience. We appreciate that Mr Binney is a loyal guest and, as a gesture of goodwill, we have offered a credit shell for the full amount on his account for his next Air Asia flight or ancillary purchase.
n This issue’s winner of Letter of the Month will receive one of the new branded Business Traveller cabin-size suitcases from Timothy Travel Essentials (
timothytravelessentials.co.uk). For the chance to win Letter of the Month, email us at
editorial@businesstravellerasia.com and include your postal address and daytime phone number. We reserve the right to edit letters.
CLEANING UP I am a long-time Cathay Pacific customer, flying long haul in premium cabins at least twice per year. On a recent trip to San Francisco from Hong Kong, I was less than impressed by the ground service before departing. I am a Oneworld Emerald member and was booked into first class from a miles redemption. I used the first class Pier lounge but an hour after showering, I realised I had left my Cole Haan washbag with all of my toiletries in the shower room. When I went back to recover it, I was told, regrettably, that it had been disposed of. Knowing that I had a conference the next morning in
NOVEMBER 2017
San Francisco and that we would be landing at about 2300 the night before, I was not terribly happy at the prospect of re-buying all of my toiletries. The ground staff tried to help but the best they could say was that, since I was in first, I would receive amenities on the plane. A complaint filed through Cathay’s website has had no
reply. While I would like to underscore that usually Cathay exceeds my expectations in service, this was well below par as I would expect the airline to hold on to any unnamed belongings at least until the end of the day before deciding to dispose of them. Gregor Wilson, Hong Kong
businesstraveller.com
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