Pelni fares all at sea

Pelni fares all at sea

From Kompas

I am an elderly man and frequently use the services of state- owned shipping company PT Pelni. In 1998 alone I made six voyages by Pelni. But I sensed something odd in that the company's ticket discounts for the aged differed from one area to another.

On Feb. 16, 1998, I was entitled to a 20 reduction on a Tanjung Priok-Ujungpandang ticket. Two months later I had to pay full price for a Pantoloan-Surabaya ticket. On Aug. 22, I enjoyed a 40 percent discount on the Pantoloan-Bitung route. In the same month, on the way back to Palu on the Bitung-Pantoloan voyage, I again received a 40 percent deduction.

On Oct. 23, 1998, my Pantoloan-Tanjung Priok ticket was subject to a 40 percent discount. However, I was offered only a 20 percent reduction two weeks later when I returned to Palu.

Why does Pelni give different fare reductions for destinations at separate offices? To satisfy my curiosity, I asked for an explanation from Pelni headquarters at Jl. Angkasa, Jakarta, on Nov. 10 when I was buying a ticket. To my bewilderment, even the Pelni staff was surprised at the different fare discounts offered me. I had to leave without receiving a satisfactory explanation.

It is mind-boggling indeed to learn that the term "elderly" is defined differently. Airlines usually consider an elderly person to be 60 years and above, but the shipping company sets the definition at 65. My impression is that one has to be older to be considered elderly at sea than in the air! On land, a person is defined as elderly at 60 and, hence, his or her identity card is marked with a "lifetime ID".

SML TOBING

Palu, Central Sulawesi