Tiger Airways

[Loom]

No wonder -- the founder of Ryanair owns 16% of Tiger.

According to Wikipedia:

"In October 2006, Ryanair was voted the world's most disliked airline in a survey by the TripAdvisor website, and in November 2006, it was revealed as the subject of more complaints than any other airline in the EU.[5] The BBC reported that 56% of respondents said Ryanair caused "the biggest headaches" for air travellers in a poll taken in 2003. [6] 60% of all complaints to Ireland's Commission for Aviation Regulation were about Ryanair. [7] On 22 August 2007 the UK's Advertising Standards Authority upheld a complaint that Ryanair had misled the public in an advert comparing its service from London Stansted to Brussels (in fact to Charleroi) with that of Eurostar".

[jetzie]

No wonder -- the founder of Ryanair owns 16% of Tiger.

According to Wikipedia:

"In October 2006, Ryanair was voted the world's most disliked airline in a survey by the TripAdvisor website, and in November 2006, it was revealed as the subject of more complaints than any other airline in the EU.[5] The BBC reported that 56% of respondents said Ryanair caused "the biggest headaches" for air travellers in a poll taken in 2003. [6] 60% of all complaints to Ireland's Commission for Aviation Regulation were about Ryanair. [7] On 22 August 2007 the UK's Advertising Standards Authority upheld a complaint that Ryanair had misled the public in an advert comparing its service from London Stansted to Brussels (in fact to Charleroi) with that of Eurostar".

surprising how 16% can make up eh

[JimsKnight]

Well they are called Tiger, so maybe the're just living up to their namesake by giving it the Tiger attitude

Go Tiger! I'll happily weather a few gruff members of staff for bargain basement prices!

[jackspratt]

No wonder -- the founder of Ryanair owns 16% of Tiger.

And Singapore Air owns 49%.

According to Wikipedia:

"Singapore Airlines have received numerous awards and accolades for the standard of service it provides. The airline has won Airline of the Year 2007 in the World Airline Awards by Skytrax".

So what is your conclusion?

[Loom]

SIA/Temasek are taking passive roles as investors while Ryan/Bonderman have been brought in to provide operational "know-how" of running a discount airline. Based on Ryanair's track record, there's no reason to expect Tiger to ever compare favorably other discount airlines on the basis of service. Bonderman, however, has an outstanding investment track record and so shareholders will probably do well.

[batami]

you gets what you pays for; flown tiget countless times - but my choice then has been driven primarily by route and timing.

MY preference is Jetstar they have my call every time. including Free Seat choice - generally total cost is better, crew are better, and they go from T1 in SIN not the budget termainl - which, honestly, although it is relatively efficient reminds me of a Butlins or Pontins complex.... for those Brits who can hark back to the days of yore.. I expect to see Redcoats run out when i arrive!

interestingly, i often see that tiger has lowest so called "fare" on BKK route but highest cost - god knows what they load on but load it on they do with extras

tiger is a budget, no service airline - and an irritation for me is that if you want to complain to the company then you MUST write a letter, snail mail - no way can you email them - so guess nobody does. This is just an indicator of their attitude.

I ageee with earlier poster Ryan Air is the architect of Tiger and it is the Ryan model that is used - not SIA - definitely not SIA.

I use tiger on chiang mai to singapore because i do not want to pay Silk Air prices - so tiger is the only alternative but i do not use them on the Singapore to Chiang Mai route - they leave at 0630am, which in addition to the 50 percent uplift on taxi fares (pushing almost S$30 from where I stay in Sing), means I get very little sleep. So jetstar to BKK and AirAsia to CM sometimes works out at just a small premium and more comfirtable

Air Asia -- Ok -- not flown them much.

so, pay your money, and you gets what you get - transport from point A to point B safely.

[asiaworld]

Well they are called Tiger, so maybe the're just living up to their namesake by giving it the Tiger attitude

Go Tiger! I'll happily weather a few gruff members of staff for bargain basement prices!

Bargain basement "PRICES" ?!?

I always admire how BLIND all this budget defenders are (or how little respect they may have for themselves)

Ok, all LCC(low cost) advertise CHEAP prices right, but then what you don't mention are taxes & "surcharges" which are at least double, than of any 'normal' carrier' so in the end pricing how much CAN we ever Save?!? even on a "free" ticket , maybe not more than a FEW Hundred baht ( and i am not exagerating ) call any travel agent to compare.. That already can be offset by the 2 meals, that you'll get with 'normal' airline (+mileage) ! Unless u hate their food soo much.

But than WHAT happends IF anything happends to your flight?.. Delay/OR if somehow (traffic whatever) you fail to show up..

Can you change date,or all you can do is to throw your paperless tkt into the nearest bin.. When it happends to me on any normal ticket(thai/indian/swiss etc.) i can always fly another day for free (or most nominal surcharge).. And Don't even get me started about the baggage ...

Think cheap... Think again...

PS; i posted,because i fly so often myself, & i'm so disgusted to see what those LCC did to LOWER the general standarts of the industry, they take the passengers from decent airlines (charge them almost the same,and give VERY little in return!) that made a lot of airlines to lower their standards as well.. Price.. i am Very budget consious as well (and if LCC could be REALLY noticeably cheaper i'd use them) did in Europe a few times,but there now they are forced to Advertise FINAL price!! So leaves very small room for SWINDLING passengers, Can't wait till asia will wake up to it.

[jeffer]

I always admire how BLIND all this budget defenders are (or how little respect they may have for themselves)

In case anyone is interested l just looked up what l paid for some of my flights between Bangkok and Singapore this year.

Please note: THESE ARE TOTAL PRICES including ALL TAXES + CHARGES.

Air Asia

BKK-Sing @ 2209 baht

JetStar

BKK-Sing 2600 baht

Tiger

BKK-Sing Return @2535 baht (might have had to pay 500 baht departure tax as that was early this year but can't remember for sure)

Bkk-Sing @SD$70.24

Sing-BKK @SD$84.50

The most l have paid either way on any of the above airlines was 3100 baht one way when booked very close to departure date.

If someone can show me total fares for any of the above prices flying Thai, Singapore etc. then let me know. Whenever l've tried to find low price flights with other airlines l cannot but if anyone here can direct me to where l can purchase similar prices to what Air Asia, Tiger and JetStar have on offer then please let me know and l will check it out.

I can't see how flying low cost airlines translates into not having any respect for one's self. I would have thought it indicated one was a savvy traveller and not someone who just blindly paid what was asked without doing a little research first. Having said that l don't understand why people who decide to pay more on other airlines get upset at those of us who prefer to save some money. I don't have a problem with people choosing to pay more as it only means the low cost carriers have more promotions if they're not selling enough tickets.

[Loom]

I always admire how BLIND all this budget defenders are (or how little respect they may have for themselves)

In case anyone is interested l just looked up what l paid for some of my flights between Bangkok and Singapore this year.

Please note: THESE ARE TOTAL PRICES including ALL TAXES + CHARGES.

Air Asia

BKK-Sing @ 2209 baht

JetStar

BKK-Sing 2600 baht

Tiger

BKK-Sing Return @2535 baht (might have had to pay 500 baht departure tax as that was early this year but can't remember for sure)

Bkk-Sing @SD$70.24

Sing-BKK @SD$84.50

The most l have paid either way on any of the above airlines was 3100 baht one way when booked very close to departure date.

Current online pricing for Sing-BKK by Thai Air and SIA for weekday departure and weekend return range from Bt7,800 - Bt12,000. I've also just checked and see that the corporate rate I'm getting from an agent for business travel on SIA is the same as the online fare.

I've only had one serious delay on a budget flight out of Bkk and it was surely related to poor weather conditions, thank you. I missed a Jetstar flight once by 30 minutes and they offered to re-book. Though I took an alternative same day flight on another carrier and ate the cost, I am still far ahead from the savings from just a few of my other budget trips.

Yes, they do advertise $1 tickets that turn out costing $100 after taxes and airport fees. But I'm always ahead compared to the full service alternatives. And no, I haven't noticed a decline in the high service levels on Thai/SIA/Cathay flights.

[jackspratt]

Bargain basement "PRICES" ?!?

I always admire how BLIND all this budget defenders are (or how little respect they may have for themselves)

Ok, all LCC(low cost) advertise CHEAP prices right, but then what you don't mention are taxes & "surcharges" which are at least double, than of any 'normal' carrier' so in the end pricing how much CAN we ever Save?!? even on a "free" ticket , maybe not more than a FEW Hundred baht ( and i am not exagerating ) call any travel agent to compare.. That already can be offset by the 2 meals, that you'll get with 'normal' airline (+mileage) ! Unless u hate their food soo much.

But than WHAT happends IF anything happends to your flight?.. Delay/OR if somehow (traffic whatever) you fail to show up..

Can you change date,or all you can do is to throw your paperless tkt into the nearest bin.. When it happends to me on any normal ticket(thai/indian/swiss etc.) i can always fly another day for free (or most nominal surcharge).. And Don't even get me started about the baggage ...

Think cheap... Think again...

PS; i posted,because i fly so often myself, & i'm so disgusted to see what those LCC did to LOWER the general standarts of the industry, they take the passengers from decent airlines (charge them almost the same,and give VERY little in return!) that made a lot of airlines to lower their standards as well.. Price.. i am Very budget consious as well (and if LCC could be REALLY noticeably cheaper i'd use them) did in Europe a few times,but there now they are forced to Advertise FINAL price!! So leaves very small room for SWINDLING passengers, Can't wait till asia will wake up to it.

Not only are you pompous and self-righteous (little respect for yourself indeed) - but you are plain wrong.

Try doing an on-line price check for Bangkok - Sing return on 17/20 October.

Taxes and surcharges:

Singapore Airlines TBH3065

Thai TBH2995

Tiger TBH3330

Air Asia TBH3245

Jet Star TBH3125

Need I say any more!

[asiaworld]

well, thats good if you always travel ONE WAY only, and than FIX your dates half a year in advance !! isn't it..

Why not try something on a shorter notice, anyway IF you departing S'pore, not sure from Bkk, bt. should be similar, there's a lot of choice, within 200S$ RETURN !! usually fully changeable,+ mileage+meals etc..

Now for example if you go to Kuala Lumpur,or Hong Kong, why not try Indian/Air India, to KL its 5900 return>> or should i dissect 2950 ONE WAY ALL included, can buy ticket a dey before you fly & fly anyday you like, but at least if anything happends, they take care of you like you're a king, comparing to what Air Asia would do to you in the similar sircumstances,, beleive me i've tried'em BOTH,,

As the matter of fact, what pissed me off was, that Indian, have just reduced their frequency from daily flights, to 3 times a week this month,, And Gulf Air another 'normal carrier' have discontinued the route completely few months back. Want to guess why ?? Because they fly almost empty, while lotsa gullible folks are cramming into Air Asia planes daily, while paying VERY SIMILAR prices, for much worse service... hel_l IF you want to book Air Asia on a weeks notice it WILL COST YOU AROUND 5000 BAhT ONE WAY incl taxes, & Tigger is not far behind ..

Thats my humble observation.. Hey just a few years back , how many airlines served BKK-SIN,, care to count ..

Finnair,Garuda,Turkish,Biman,PIA,Indian,Swiss,Thai SQ,Cathay ..the prices already WERE cheap, if only one knew, what to ask from travel agent ! of course many agents also want to make more than minimal amount of profit from you,

Why don't you use your searching skills there

[jackspratt]

well, thats good if you always travel ONE WAY only, and than FIX your dates half a year in advance !! isn't it..

I will put the kindest interpretation on your response Asia, and assume you misplaced your glasses.

I clearly state the search was for a return journey ie 17/20 October.

Today is the 4th of October - hardly 6 months in advance of the 17th.

If you bothered to do some research, instead of making unsupportable claims, you would probably find that the fare on LCCs increase the closer to get to departure date, not the taxes and surcharges.

[asiaworld]

it's ok Jack, actually i'm a bit surprised to see that, because last time i've checked short distance one way fuel& ins. surcharge on thai was around 5-600 baht versus 8-900 baht on air asia, but again, we all know what would happen to us if one day by any accident, we'd miss air asia flight .. And if anyone travels on any sort of business & flight get delayed..

That IS what i meant by talking about self respect !! Not to insult anyone, i've flown with Air Asia few times before, when i 'desperate enough' he he .. Actually, they are ok on Phnom Pehn & Macau routes, no decent competition i guess.. but whenever i compare, what savings there could be versus any inconveniences it may bring , it is so little..

And how many gullibles get hooked on their thieving price adverts , maybe NOT you and me, but sure unfair way to solicit customers !

[jackspratt]

it's ok Jack, actually i'm a bit surprised to see that, because last time i've checked short distance one way fuel& ins. surcharge on thai was around 5-600 baht versus 8-900 baht on air asia, but again, we all know what would happen to us if one day by any accident, we'd miss air asia flight .. And if anyone travels on any sort of business & flight get delayed..

That IS what i meant by talking about self respect !! Not to insult anyone, i've flown with Air Asia few times before, when i 'desperate enough' he he .. Actually, they are ok on Phnom Pehn & Macau routes, no decent competition i guess.. but whenever i compare, what savings there could be versus any inconveniences it may bring , it is so little..

And how many gullibles get hooked on their thieving price adverts , maybe NOT you and me, but sure unfair way to solicit customers !

Horses for courses Asia.

Anyone silly enough to believe a $1 fare really exists is going to struggle getting through life

[asiaworld]

Horses for courses Asia.

Anyone silly enough to believe a $1 fare really exists is going to struggle getting through life

Actually they DO exist but they call them award tickets, those from the frequent flier points, you know

Edited October 4, 2007 by asiaworld

[jeffer]

You don't need to book anything like half year in advance to get cheap tickets. Usually 1-5 weeks before is okay in my experience.

Just a quick look at Tiger for next week, dep. BKK 11 Oct. ret. 17 Oct. for 4400 baht total and that was only my first search.

If you haven't heard of them before, Save Flights are one of the best online travel agents for booking tickets out of Bangkok. They usually have some of the best prices you will find anywhere, good service too.

From their current price list return trips (all taxes included) to Singapore are priced as follows (different ticket types):

Cathay Pacific @7700 and 10200 bt

Singapore Airlines @11300 and 14300bt

Swiss @ 7500bt

Thai Airways @ 9100,9700,10200,12000 etc.

They have a promotion for Cathay running at 5500 baht but l wouldn't be surprised if that is limited to a few flights like SIA do with their specials. Generally though, even Save Flights is almost double the price of what you can find by spending a little time searching the Air Asia etc. websites.

I haven't used my frequent flyer points for a while but when l have l still had to pay taxes which has made using them for short trips a waste of time, better to save them up for long haul flights these days.

[fennielyn]

....In which folks can't tell the difference between a whine, a complaint and an account of sorts.

Uhm, I was in no way complaining but if you choose to misinterpret, you may take it as such. I will just giggle.

End.

You're perfectly correct fennielyn - it was an account of sorts.

A whining, complaining sort of account.

Right. Pardon me for foolishly misreading the title of the thread. I thought that it was asking for what one's own experience flying on Tiger Airways was like (assuming that the question "what are they like?" to mean that of course, but hey, I could be wrong, then I stand corrected). I wasn't aware (I promise) that only positive experiences or raves were welcomed and sharing a non-glowing report, no matter how true, is akin to whining/complaining/whinging/ranting/grumbling and every other synonym one can think of.

So yea, I apologize for misunderstanding the purpose and intent here. ~_*

p/s and should anyone still think that I'm full of criticism coz it's a *nationality issue*, let it be known(I didn't want to say it before coz really, what has *it* got to do with anything? Honestly, I don't see how my nationality comes into play here) that I'm Singaporean and would like nothing better than to see all homegrown airlines succeed and be loved by one and all around the world. I mean, come on already! It's one more thing for us to brag about and ya'll know how we love that being so used to scoring World Class Standards awards and being #1 in Everything. (go get 'em tiger) So I hope that clears up all previous assumptions sufficiently. If not, I give up. Actually, I think I've said all there is to be said on *my* Tiger experience. Let others take the stage.(Tread carefully now guys! Look on the bright side and remember to stay positive no matter what!) I'm outta here coz it's getting all too tiresome. Really.

Edited October 5, 2007 by fennielyn

[asiaworld]

well jeffer that IS an interesting website, but if you'd trvel often you'd know they are NOT the cheapest.. My pain IS that there WAS a lot of competition on BKK_SIN route, and many of them pulled out in the last years, mainly due to LCC pressure ! You've noticed , they only want to sell you CX,TG,& SQ thou, no mention of Swiss, maybe they did a runner also.. . In S'pore good one is ZUJI, i usually check it to get the general idea of pricing, than visit my trusted travel agent & she AlWayS gets me same thing, but usually 20-50$ cheaper, than Zuji,, & i get to choose the travel dates

[jackspratt]

....In which folks can't tell the difference between a whine, a complaint and an account of sorts.

Uhm, I was in no way complaining but if you choose to misinterpret, you may take it as such. I will just giggle.

End.

You're perfectly correct fennielyn - it was an account of sorts.

A whining, complaining sort of account.

Right. Pardon me for foolishly misreading the title of the thread. I thought that it was asking for what one's own experience flying on Tiger Airways was like (assuming that the question "what are they like?" to mean that of course, but hey, I could be wrong, then I stand corrected). I wasn't aware (I promise) that only positive experiences or raves were welcomed and sharing a non-glowing report, no matter how true, is akin to whining/complaining/whinging/ranting/grumbling and every other synonym one can think of.

So yea, I apologize for misunderstanding the purpose and intent here. ~_*

p/s and should anyone still think that I'm full of criticism coz it's a *nationality issue*, let it be known(I didn't want to say it before coz really, what has *it* got to do with anything? Honestly, I don't see how my nationality comes into play here) that I'm Singaporean and would like nothing better than to see all homegrown airlines succeed and be loved by one and all around the world. I mean, come on already! It's one more thing for us to brag about and ya'll know how we love that being so used to scoring World Class Standards awards and being #1 in Everything. (go get 'em tiger) So I hope that clears up all previous assumptions sufficiently. If not, I give up. Actually, I think I've said all there is to be said on *my* Tiger experience. Let others take the stage.(Tread carefully now guys! Look on the bright side and remember to stay positive no matter what!) I'm outta here coz it's getting all too tiresome. Really.

fennielyn the problem I had with your post had nothing to do with nationality - that is something you have gratuitously raised.

Pretty much each paragraph of your post is a mixture of reporting your experience ie what happened, and no-one is likely to doubt or challenge you on that. After all, that is what the thread is about.

The balance of each paragraph is then taken up by your take or feelings about what had happened - the whining, complaining part. This is what others have commented on, because I suspect people are at a loss to see your point.

Arrive at check-in 1 hour before departure - no wonder they were pissed.

Overweight baggage - pay up, everyone else does.

Want/need to be personally shown to your seat - are you 85 years old?

Need to place oversize hand luggage in overhead locker - standard procedure.

Leave your mobile phone on - silly, silly you.

etc etc etc

[Flow]

Nice to see "my thread" has taken off.

I flew Jetstar 1 time and Tiger last week 1 time.

The service (for example the coffee) is better on Jetstar. As are the seats, much better, I think leather seats?

Tiger Airways was good too, but coffee not too great, and seats not as nice as Jetstar's, a bit hard. As if you were sitting on a wooden bench in a park.

Jetstar: 4500 Return (incl. taxes)

Tiger: 3500 Return (incl. taxes)

With jetstar, no problem booking and choosing a seat online with Tiger I booked and paid extra to choose my seat but it did not show on the document when I printed it out and as a result I had to "negotiate" my booked window seat with the flight attendant. The problem was resolved after I insisted.

So... you get what you pay for. Jetstar a little better in service so you pay 1000 Baht more than Tiger.

Which airline I'd probably fly again? Well, since the two can take me from point A to point B in a little over 2 hours, quite frankly I don't care. I go for the airline that offers the cheapest. That Said, I'll probably go for Jetstar if I had to fly more than 3 hours.

If Air Asia is cheaper than Tiger than I'll probably give them a try as well in the future.

[LeungKen]

.

Well I made it to Perth and back, No Drama !

The Budget a/port at Singa's is a bit of a drag as one can't get into the transit lounge area until 2 hours before flight take off - which meant I had a 3 hr wait on a crappy chair from 3:00am - 6:00am on my return leg.

Tiger themselves were good friendly & easy check-in at all times, nice looking Trolley Dollies going to Oz - coming back they were just as cute but were male (Which is fine if you are of that persuasion)

The aircraft was newish and took-off and landed just as it was meant to do - which I guess means the drivers in the pointy-end did all the right things at the right times.

At about 18,000 Bt it was cheap, safe & reliable, however if you are long-legged or have a long flight you may want to consider the alternatives.

I came back with a massive dose of the flu, so it didn't really matter, just took more drugs and got a massage when I got home..........

[my friend I]

Which terminal does Tiger use in Perth for its international flights?.

[jackspratt]

Which terminal does Tiger use in Perth for its international flights?.

International Terminal

[my friend I]

Thanks.. So u have to go to the other terminal for Tiger domestic? I would have thought they would try to stay in one place to cut costs.

[jackspratt]

Thanks.. So u have to go to the other terminal for Tiger domestic? I would have thought they would try to stay in one place to cut costs.

Australian Customs, and Immigration, has some pretty strict rules on the mingling of domestic and international passengers.

Also, Tiger is no different to Qantas, which uses both the domestic and international terminals.

[andrewryan108]

my experience with Tiger (sin-bkk october 07) and Air Asia (phuket-bkk, many times , other years & upcoming february 2008)

tiger was efficient, friendly, plane brand new, i ate my own food on the plane, cramped (I am tall), they gave me my choice of a great seat without service charge (i was first in line, no scrum to get aboard), on time. 7 kg for hand luggage is my biggest problem with all lcc because I have a lot of electronic and other valuable stuff, but it was not weighed.

air asia - usually very late, many flights cancelled without notification (I do not have a mobile in Asia, but I do have a landline/email), pointless scrum to board flights, clueless staff at check in, not very accomodating in getting me alternate transportation (due to their cancellations - they kept on saying we are a low cost airline - they seemed to think that that allowed them to cancel and then do nothing for me), on board service fine.

will likely go to singapore with valuair-jetstar? next time due to 20kg checked luggage allowance, better reviews online, main terminal in Singapore (Budget was just a fifteen minute inconvenience), etc, but Tiger was good too.

QUESTION for anyone - Flying air asia phuket-bangkok in February are they likely to weigh my slightly large-jetstar?ish hand luggage (total of laptop and other bag may be 10-12 kilos)????? If they do, will they possibly let me pay some money for overweight and take it aboard???????

thanks

ps sorry I put this post in the wrong thread, so some of it is not all that relevant

Edited November 18, 2007 by andrewryan108

[my friend I]

We booked tix before with Tiger & got email confirmation.

Last week we booked again but still no email. Is the email no longer part of the booking?

[Flow]

We booked tix before with Tiger & got email confirmation.

Last week we booked again but still no email. Is the email no longer part of the booking?

I did get an email confirmation I recall 4 mnths ago but the seat I reserved by paying extra was not in the confirmation. You'd better email customer service. That is if Tiger has this.

To one of the posters in this thread who mentioned Valueair. Jetstar and Valueair collaborate on flying the SING-BBK-SING route. So, a plane from either company can be used.

[ignoramus]

This probably won't be read, except perhaps for latecomers to the subject, like myself (and really, what are latecomers good for anyway?).

It matters not, as, as interesting as it has been (for the info herein), it's also been a tad tedious ploughing through the jibes to get at the meat.

Goodness gracious me, some of you do take yourselves seriously don't you. A post about an airline, and you want to get personal?

Also - and one does understand that time is tight these days - some of you simply do not read carefully enough - either that or you sadly lack a sense of humour.

I understood fennielyn's gist, why didn't you?

Her post was merely, and transparently 'an account of sorts'. No more no less. I LOL'd TWICE whilst reading her post. She's a fun gal. Her post was self-deprecating, dear friends. Somehow that was missed.

Her other posts are ALSO self-deprecating. She is a fun woman, a 'character', as we here in the English-speaking world say. Some would even describe her as a 'barrel' of fun. She's self-described as tight with a dollar but she's not (in my unhumble opinion) pusillanimous. Now that, I can assure you folks, is a rare combo.

Now, what am I trying to say here, you ask yourself?

Well, if you want to get serious, and personal - and you obviously DO like to get seriously personal - just go to the Climate Warming topic. Phew, now that's hot under the collar stuff.

Bottom line: since you do not know from whence fennielyn comes, resist negative comment. Skip her posts. You speak from ignorance. The 'guilty' will reply as they wish, but I shan't be back, as I have the info I need.

(Tricky words can be found in the OED).

[jeffer]

some of you do not read carefully enough

Bottom line: since you do not know from whence fennielyn comes, resist negative comment. You speak from ignorance

Honestly, I don't see how my nationality comes into play here) that I'm Singaporean