Having just rounded up a two-month journey courtesy of the AirAsia ASEAN pass, I thought it would be timely to reflect both on my experience of using this innovative travel resource, and my occasionally difficult adjustment from business traveler to Weekend Explorer (read, budget traveler.) #firstworldproblems
But before I launch into the tale, I acknowledge that people may not have the time to read a lengthy blog post – let alone three. So here is the key takeaway. Jetstar is the King of Budget Airlines in Asia, I will never fly AirAsia again.
Some of you may have read my post from a couple of days ago A Tale of Two Budget Airlines – Part I of III: AirAsia ASEAN Pass – the Good, the Bad, the Ugly, and How Easy it Is to Lose a Customer for Life. I know that the Internet is a pervasively negative place, and I wanted to be sure to chronicle my positive experiences alongside my struggles.
A couple of months ago, I planned an impulsive last minute trip to Singapore to surprise a friend for her birthday. Being unable to use the AirAsia ASEAN Pass due to the 14 day booking limitation, I explored alternate budget carriers as my favorite airline, Singapore Airlines, was far beyond my current price point (sob!) [Side note on SQ: those of you who want an amusing, if occasionally baffling Singlish read, this blog post from an ex-stewardess (yes, they still call themselves stewardesses, apparently!) is quite an amusing and touching read.]
Jetstar and Lion Air were the two best alternate options. But what should have been a simple booking process turned into a nightmare as neither website would accept ANY of my credit cards. Several calls to my credit card companies and multiple attempts to book later, I was ready to pull my hair out. So I called Lion Air. Being unable to accept credit card payments over the phone, they basically told me to be patient and keep trying. (Gee, thanks.)
Calling Jetstar was a completely different experience. First, they APOLOGIZED for the inconvenience caused. (I should note that to this day I’ve been unable to confirm whether the problem was at my credit cards’ end or the airlines’ websites.) Second, they proceeded to book my flight over the phone with utmost efficiency. Third, and most surprising, they followed up with an apologetic email and an IDR 500,000 voucher for future travel. At less than USD 50, this was not a huge financial hit for the company. And at around 25% of a round trip ticket to Singapore, it wasn’t even that much money to me. But this was a class act by an airline one would expect to treat its customers like cattle. And has bought my life-long loyalty – extending to its parent company, Qantas, which I have yet to have the pleasure of flying. I should add that the flight itself was a very pleasant experience – the icing on the cake in my book.
Through this experience I learned several very important things about budget travel.
Image from Slate.com
First, and foremost, not all budget carriers are the same. (Don’t take my word for it, check out Airline Ratings for alarmingly divergent safety records!)
Second, while one expects to forgo certain perks and frills, one should not expect a reduction in basic customer service.
Third, if you treat your customers well, you get good customers. (I judge this not only based on my own satisfaction, but on the comportment of the average Jetstar passenger vis-à-vis the average AirAsia passenger.)
And this makes all the difference in the world.
Pricing models, on the other hand, could well be another issue, not only for Jetstar (as can be seen here), but other low cost carriers as well. I am NOT a fan of opt out pricing, having an octogenarian mother and being quite sympathetic about how confusing websites can be. The airline also was recently called to task for a recent incident involving a disabled Japanese passenger who was refused carriage on a Jetstar flight from Bangkok to Tokyo. But I sincerely hope that they learn from their mistakes, and keep up the overall good work.
Read the first part of the series, A Tale of Two Budget Airlines – Part I of III: AirAsia ASEAN Pass – the Good, the Bad, the Ugly, and How Easy it Is to Lose a Customer for Life, here.