Said its head of sales and distribution, Mr Leslie Ng: 'The majority of our feedback is through e-mails and posted mail, while a minority came from Case this year. From our record, we have received only eight complaints through Case from January to date.'
When it receives complaints, Jetstar Asia said it first investigates and then sends a written reply.
'We have upgraded our support system by creating a toll free call centre that is 24 hours. Passengers can call 800-6161977 and customer service personnel will attend to his/her needs.'
Mr Robert Khoo, the CEO of the National Association of Travel Agents Singapore (Natas), suggested that the growing tide of complaints could also be due to consumers being more aware of their rights.
He said: 'I think consumer awareness is much higher today than in the past. Now they're ready to voice their demands. Similarly, we have seen an increase in the number of complaints, even over trivial things.'
Mr Khoo added that sometimes, it's a matter of meeting expectations. Some consumers expect these budget airlines to be as good as normal carriers.
He added: 'These are budget airlines and are typically no-frills. So consumers should not expect that they would be like the normal carriers.
'But some things should be basic, like good customer service.'
Complaints in the news this month
5 DEC
Tiger Airways customer Henry Ong tried unsuccessfully to contact the company about changes to his flight to Thailand, according to the ST Forum on 5 Dec.
The general line on the website was constantly engaged.
After about 20 calls over three days, each lasting about 20 minutes, all he got was a recorded message. There was no sign that his calls would be answered.
5 DEC
Jetstar customer Angeline Tan bought tickets to Bangkok for 10 Dec, according to a letter to The Straits Times Forum on 5Dec.
But its website had no up-to-date information on options available to passengers due to travel to Bangkok during the political unrest there.
She made several calls to the airline's customer service hotline for up to 45 minutes for a few days, only to have the line cut off abruptly after waiting patiently.
20 DEC
A group of Tiger Airways passengers in Guangzhou were stranded for two days without their belongings.
They were bound for Singapore.
Their flight could not take off because of technical problems and they were taken to a hotel 15 minutes away.
The passengers said no Tiger Airways representatives were on site to address their concerns.
The airline said the matter was being investigated and action would be taken if it's required.
This article was first published in The New Paper on Dec 24, 2008.
