Tiger Flight Cancellation In Tasmania

[Adrian B]

Looks like an interesting issue over the weekend.

Federal police guard Tiger Airlines staff after passengers told they would be stranded in Hobart for three days

A TIGER Airways passenger has told of his and other passengers' frustration after they were stranded in Hobart for three days due to a flight cancellation.

Police guarded Tiger Airways staff while they announced to a crowd of angry passengers they would be stranded in Hobart for three days on Friday night.

Passenger Mike Walters said he and his wife were effectively abandoned after the cancellation.

“We were isolated in a hotel at Cambridge airport some 17 kilometres from Hobart without any local shops or supplies,” Mr Walters said.

Mr Walters said he forked out for a flight back to Melbourne yesterday on Virgin Blue because he could not wait until today, particularly as he had run out of medication.

“To add to our irritation we had to pay for alternative accommodation, transport, interstate telephone calls to family and the Tiger call centre and meals out of our own pocket with the promise of an unspecified refund in two months' time,” Mr Walters said.

“We know of other passengers on our flight who missed interstate connections to family weddings, including one best man.

“We were also unable to meet our soon to be daughter in law from Singapore, as we had planned to meet her flight at Tullamarine that same evening to welcome her and drive her home.”

Flight TT567 out of Hobart was cancelled after a flight attendant became ill, and no replacement staff were available.

A passenger who was to return to Melbourne on that flight said federal police arrived at the terminal about 9.30pm on Friday night before the announcement was delayed.

Passengers stranded in Hobart are due to arrive in Melbourne tonight.

Tiger Airways has been contacted for comment and will be issuing a statement shortly.

[Adam.S]

I can understand an overnight delay whereby a LCC airline could not have 'spare' aircraft or staff available, however a 3-day delay?!?
How?

[Ryan K]

Simple, don't fly them.

[Kain C]

How?

HBA-MEL is one of the fastest growing routes in Australia, and has fewer available seats than at the corresponding time last year. Hence load factors are very high. So it then takes 3 or 4 days to find 180 spare seats to put people on.

[Stephen B]

It would be good to hear what Tiger has to say about this incident. Though from the article below I wonder why they couldn't send another crew person down, even on another airline.

However, hypothetically speaking of course, after 24 hours (or preferably much less) any airline should either find an aircraft somewhere in their fleet, or put you on another airline, even if they have to charter another airline's aircraft.

[Adam G]

You get what you pay for.

Tiger has terminators in MEL every night, surely they could have sent one down to HBA & just delayed the flight by a few hours - there's no curfew issues.

Every airline has Mid Duty Sickness - I've never seen another domestic airline have to delay a flight by 3 days due to one though!! They either fly in a crew member or cancel the flight & reaccomidate on the same or next day.