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| FastJet Team |
A Week after FastJet, the first real low cost carrier, started its
operations in Tanzania’s market, passengers and stakeholders have greeted the
airline with mixed feelings on services being offered.
Some are asking FastJet authorities to add its list of local
destinations apart from the Dar - Mwanza route.
They want the airline to consider Kilimanjaro - Mwanza, Arusha -
Nairobi, Dar - Dodoma and even Dar - Tanga, which is impossible as the airport
there lacks a tarmac runway.
In their comments on the FastJet facebook, one
realises that many people were still not aware of the operations and economics
of low cost carriers. Mr Charles Omary Cazorla said he thanked the management.
But wanted to know Arusha - Nairobi fare. The airline answered via
facebook, that he should continue watching the website for updates. Low cost
airline is a new concept in the country unlike the traditional carriers.
Therefore awareness is essential through various media houses.
The airline is trying to educate its clients via facebook and website
but that is not enough as many, especially those who used to be bus and train
travellers, do not posses Smartphones and internet access is a distant factor
for them. Huawei Technologies officials say Smartphone penetration is still
less than 15 per cent compared to mobile phone penetration figure of 70 per
cent per year.
This is not a health figure for FastJet. Another, FastJet client Omari
Killo asked the management to “explain fully” their costs because there are
other hidden costs which are unexplained when buying a ticket until when one
checks- in. But the airline explains all those costs at their website. It shows
that despite some travellers to be accessing internet, they are lazy readers
and this is a national problem.
According to FastJet website, passengers are subjected to part with
40,000/- for changing of departure date irrespective of how earlier one changes
the itinerary. “In the event of cancellation FastJet will not compensate you or
give a refund or a rebook on an alternative date without additional fees,” the
airline’s info on website shows. Other charges include a 100 per cent penalty
on no show and cancellation of the safari.
This means a passenger needs to repurchase a ticket once he or she
delays to report at the airport. Mr Mallisa Heika commented on the FastJet
facebook that in comparison to fares and services the airline is costly than
Precision Air in regard to no-shows and rebooking, and luggage allowance.
“These guys (FastJet) are expensive than our PW (Precision Air)...because when
you don’t show up a ticket is forfeited,” Heika said.
According to the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) Director
General Fadhili Manongi the budget airlines are making their day by playing
with volume of passengers due to low fixed costs per passenger, thus are able
to charge reasonably low fares. “For low cost airlines, the yield per passenger
is relatively low due to low fare, compared to traditional airlines which have
high yield per passenger, due to high fares, but maximise revenues from large
number of passengers handled,” Mr Manongi said.
Further, services offered are different from the traditional ones and
if they have to be offered, one has to pay for them, including baggage, food
and refreshments on board. In the traditional business model, these costs are
in-built in the fare structure. The economics behind the low costs carrier is
to minimise costs which at the end of the day enable them to offer cheap fare.
This also has to be accompanied by volume of passengers. The airline
started its operation in December which is high season through January. In
February up to April, is the low season. At the low season, fares are likely to
change much to the chagrin of passengers. Another FastJet facebook fan Sheila
Kinanja said “honestly and truly I hate FastJet. Their system is not good at
all compared to airlines like Precision Air and Air Tanzania.
They have a tendency of leaving passengers behind.” she said. She also
said in case of delay to report then one ha to buy a new ticket instead of
rebooking on the next flight with minimum penalty. Tricey Steve said the
advertising fare is not the same as the announced one or is there a tow fares
for Dar es Salaam and Mwanza residents? There are also issues of reaching the
customer’s call centre as it is always engaged and when it is through nobody is
there to pick up.
The airline said this was because of the overwhelming response from the
customers. Mr Mike Marwa said: “I have been calling your customer care service
nobody picked my phone, I also e-mailed you but no reply, please what is wrong,
four days now since I e-mailed you”.
A travel agent Shufaa Kiango said they are receiving no ticketing
commission for booking FastJet passengers since the cut is almost the same as
the fare the airline offers at 33,000/-. “We do not see how we can book these
passengers. We are not ready to work for free while incurring costs for our
perations,” Ms Kiango said. The University of Dar es Salaam Senior Lecturer
(Economics) Dr Haji Semboja said the fare offered by FastJet was too low and
unrealistics for sustainable operations.
“I am not conversant with aviation business but the fares are too low
to provide quality services...may be they are for promotional basis,” Dr
Semboja he said. On other hand, TCAA said there is nothing wrong with the new
entrant in the local aviation industry, FastJet, charging low fares as their
operation mode is quite different from traditional service providers, as the
former capitalises on economies of scale, due to low costs per seat, as a
result of high load factors.
TCAA boss said in that context the conventional airlines concentrate on
high yield per passenger by offering deluxe services from checking in to take
off to landing. “The good thing is that budget and traditional carriers will
continue to operate on the same sky because their passengers differ on taste,”
Mr Manongi said.
Source: The Daily News, www.dailynews.co.tz, reported by Abduel Elinaza in Dar es Salaam
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