FlySafair urges fairness in NCC’s overbooking probe
FlySafair has addressed the National Consumer Commission’s investigation into its recent overbooking incident.
FlySafair welcomes NCC investigation
FlySafair, a local low-cost airline, has reportedly welcomed the National Consumer Commission’s (NCC) decision to investigate its overbooking practices.
This comes after the NCC’s announcement that it had begun an investigation into the airline’s conduct of overbooking and overselling tickets to consumers, especially after a complaint from a passenger recently.
The unhappy passenger, Miles Nsala took to X to share his vexing experience with FlySafair.
“So we show up at the airport, and @FlySafair says we don’t have seats for the same flight we paid for. If you have 200 seats, why take payments for 300 passengers?” Nsala said on X.
The airline then went on to apologise but also defend their overbooking practice.
“We do overbook flight to ensure we keep our tickets as affordable as possible for our passengers. We do see how inconvenient this can be and therefore offer compensation for passengers that were not able to take the flight they’ve booked,” the airline said on X.
NCC to be ‘fair’
According to The Citizen, Kirby Gordon, chief marketing officer of FlySafair, said the airline acknowledged the NCC’s investigation.
“We welcome the opportunity to provide clarity on this issue and remain confident that our policies and practices are not only compliant with the CPA but also among the most transparent and consumer-focused in the industry.” Gordon said as The Citizen.
Kirby also added that it was important that the investigation be conducted fairly and contextually. He says overbooking was a standard and globally accepted practice employed by airlines to manage operations efficiently, and was not unique to FlySafair.
“This practice has been used by all local airlines, past and present, as well as international carriers selling tickets to South African consumers. Any investigation should take this broader context into account and not disproportionately target FlySafair for a practice that is integral to the functioning of the entire aviation industry.”