New | Budget airline complaints soar as Hong Kong consumer council issues price warning
Flights with budget airlines may end up costing more than full-service carriers after adding hidden charges, the Consumer Council warned, as complaints about low-cost carriers doubled last year to 764.
Flights with budget airlines may end up costing more than full-service carriers after adding hidden charges, the Consumer Council warned, as complaints about low-cost carriers doubled last year to 764 – 10 times higher than 2012.
Price disputes topped the list of consumer dissatisfaction, with 298 recorded out of the 764 total cases. Flight delays and cancellations received 201 complaints, while the council recorded 165 grievances about service quality.
The council surveyed 10 low-cost carriers, which altogether make up 90 per cent of Hong Kong’s budget airline market. The council found that most budget airlines failed to offer passengers affected by flight delays or cancellations timely information, and mainly relied on email or the airlines’ own official websites to broadcast flight updates.
In such events, and those of damaged or missing baggage, most budget operators offer only minimal compensation to satisfy international conventions, said Professor Michael Hui King-man, chairman of the council’s publicity and community relations committee.
“The amount may not be adequate to compensate for any loss incurred, so we would advise [passengers] to buy travel insurance for extra protection,” Hui said.
Budget airlines also charge extras, varying from HK$88 to HK$450, for check-in baggage, and add-on services such as seat selection, food and beverage or ticket-related charges such as change of travel period.
“If you’re not aware of such restrictions, in the end you may be paying more than choosing traditional carriers,” Hui said.
