TRAVELCONSUMERDAILY.COM
MONDAY, JUNE 28, 2010

TIGER Airways is making it even more difficult for passengers to avoid having to pay so-called ancillary charges that already make its ultra-cheap "headline" discounts unobtainable except for a tiny minority.

The airline says that from Thursday (July 1), passengers will have to check-in online to avoid paying a new $A10 check-in fee at the airport for people travelling without luggage.

However, the $10 fee is payable only if you have indicated in advance that you want to check in at the airport. Those arriving at the airport to check in must pay $15 from Thursday.

People travelling with luggage must have pre-purchased a luggage allowance to avoid having to pay the new airport check-in fee.

Fees for checked luggage will also increase from Thursday – from $15 to $20 for 15kgs and from $45 to $50 for 25 kgs, but only if the luggage allowance is pre-purchased online.

An airline spokeswoman says an additional fee of $5 in each category will apply if the luggage allowance is not pre-purchased.

She says the new charges and changes apply only to travel within Australia and not to Tiger services to and from Singapore.

She says that the airline’s website – in "fees and charges’’ under the "Travel info" drop-down menu – will be modified on Thursday to explain the new charges.

Headline fares, such as the current $38 one-way rate between Melbourne and Sydney, do not include a $6 credit card fee which all passengers must pay unless they are one of a tiny minority who has an Australian-issued Mastercard debit card.

Tiger Airways Australia Managing Director, Crawford Rix, says: "Our model is based on some of the most successful and profitable low cost carriers in the world, including Ryanair.

"Everything we do is about offering the seat for the absolute lowest fare and then providing customers with the option to choose whatever optional extras they wish to pay for. It’s about unbundling all the extras and being transparent about all charges to allow customers to tailor their travel needs to their budget.

"We want to reward travellers who use web check-in with our lowest fares."

READ: Get used to airline extras