Passengers upset over retroactive hike in airfares<\/p>\n
NUSA DUA, Bali (JP): Air passengers at the Soekarno-Hatta
\nAirport in Jakarta and the Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali were upset
\nover an unexpected retroactive increase in airfares which became
\neffective yesterday.<\/p>\n
Passengers checking in at the airports were charged additional
\nfees for their flights even though they had bought tickets on
\nprevious days.<\/p>\n
The country's six airlines, Garuda Indonesia, Merpati
\nNusantara, Bouraq, Mandala, Sempati and Dirgantara, introduced
\nyesterday a 10 percent increase in domestic airfares.<\/p>\n
However, no announcements were made at the two airports,
\nmaking passengers confused and disappointed when they were told
\nto pay additional fees.<\/p>\n
A passenger flying from Jakarta to Bali, Gunawan, told The
\nJakarta Post yesterday he bought a round-trip ticket from Jakarta
\nto Denpasar for Rp 554,200 on Thursday.<\/p>\n
\"But when I checked in, I was charged an additional fee of Rp
\n30,800 to meet the new ticket price. There were some windows with
\nan 'additional payment' board, but I thought they were for over-
\nweight luggage payments. There were also other counters
\ndesignated to serve customers with credit cards,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said most people had to pay Rp 31,000 since windows did not
\nprovide any coins for change.<\/p>\n
Susi, another passenger who flew from Jakarta to Denpasar
\nyesterday, said that raising the airfares retroactively was
\nridiculous.<\/p>\n
\"There should be official announcements about passenger price
\nhikes. What if some passengers didn't have enough money but they
\nhad to take the flights,\" she said.<\/p>\n
She said that passengers who had bought tickets before Dec. 12
\n(when the new airfares were introduced) should not have had to
\npay the additional fees.<\/p>\n
\"It doesn't make sense, charging additional fees for tickets
\npurchased some time ago.\"<\/p>\n
The Indonesian National Air Carrier Association (INACA) has
\nbeen granted the authority by the government to increase airfares
\nwhen necessary. The association has been complaining about low
\nairfares in Indonesia, particularly after the currency turmoil
\nhit the country last July.<\/p>\n
Minister of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto indicated last
\nweek that INACA might increase airfares. \"But the airlines must
\nnot burden the public.\"<\/p>\n
INACA's executives were not available for comment yesterday.<\/p>\n
INACA also raised airfares between 8 percent and 10 percent on
\nOct. 27. It plans a raise of up to 26 percent before the end of
\nthe first quarter of 1998.<\/p>\n
The new tariffs announced yesterday increased the average fare
\nto Rp 315.19 from Rp 286.54 per kilometer for each seat.<\/p>\n
Executives of Garuda at the Ngurah Rai Airport and the
\nairline's office in Bali told the Post that there had not been a
\ncoordinated plan on how to introduce the new airfares.<\/p>\n
\"We just collected the additional fees,\" a Garuda's executive
\nsaid. (icn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/passengers-upset-over-retroactive-hike-in-airfares-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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