The Consumer Council on Monday said it has received more than 1,000 complaints against airlines so far this year, relating to services such as seating and baggage arrangements. In one case, the complainant was said to have paid extra for window seats, but the reserved spots for the return flight were unavailable due to a change in the aircraft model. “The ground staff assured them that although their original seats could not be arranged, the new seats would still be by the window. It was upon boarding that they found out the window next to their seats had been sealed and covered with a magazine rack,” the council said. Two other complaints highlighted by the council involved budget airlines. One passenger paid for priority service but did not receive the treatment, while the other was troubled by a sudden need for her carry-on baggage to go in the hold. Gilly Wong, the council’s chief executive, said flexible pricing options offered by air carriers are good in principle, but companies should better communicate with passengers. “The airlines should design the flexible pricing and also the different add-on services in a more detailed manner. And also, the execution of it has to be with less loopholes. Because if you have loopholes and failed expectations of consumers, that would generate a lot of complaints,” she said. “There are pros and cons…but most importantly, it’s about the communication.” Of the complaints received by the council, 36 percent involved flight rescheduling or cancellations, followed by pricing issues such as baggage fees.
