Is Fastjet really a low-cost airline? This question has been asked several times by passengers flying Tanzania’s budget airline, but the answers have been confusing, sometimes misleading.
Think about these facts. If you booked your flight to Mwanza from Dar es Salaam seven days before travelling, the return ticket will cost you a whopping Sh696,000 if you don’t have any luggage weighing 20kg or more, which costs an extra Sh20,000. This means that a return ticket for a traveller with at least 20kg of luggage costs Sh716,000.
That is what happened last week, when Asha, a 34-year-old businesswoman, booked a Fastjet flight to Mwanza, hoping to travel next Sunday, on Easter, and return to Dar es Salaam on April 14, this year.
“I was shocked to hear that it would cost me that much money (Sh716,000) for a return ticket to Mwanza…is Fastjet still a low-cost airline?” she asked in a text message to The Citizen.
On the same day, Asha tried to book a flight on Precision Air (PW), which flies to Mwanza once daily, and was told to pay Sh720,000 for a return ticket. It is not clear what has pushed PW to charge Sh720,000 for a return ticket at a time when competition is stiff and fuel prices have gone down sharply.
The story is the same if you want to fly to Kilimanjaro, Mbeya or elsewhere where Fastjet, which markets itself as a low-cost airline, flies.
From Mbeya to Mwanza, Kilimanjaro to Dar es Salaam, Fastjet has been making its name as a low-cost airline, but in reality, it is not, according to various customers who have aired their complaints.
Asha is not alone. There are thousands of passengers who have not understood clearly whether Fastjet is a low-cost airline or not—thanks to the exorbitant fares charged by the airline, which currently controls the domestic market.
Mr Sadock Magai, a prominent lawyer based in Dar es Salaam, last December complained bitterly about what Fastjet was charging passengers. He described what Fastjet was charging passengers as “daylight robbery”, adding that it was a tragedy that nobody, least of all the regulator, was willing to stop what was going on.
Since then, there have been hundreds of people complaining about what Fastjet is charging, especially on the Dar-Mwanza and Dar-Mbeya routes.
Although Fastjet officials have spoken to The Citizen reporters about the matter on several occasions and defended the carrier, the reality on the ground raises one simple question – is Fastjet is a low-cost airline or not?WEKA MAONI YAKO HAPA CHINI
0 comments:
Post a Comment