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?
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Fastjet (who apart from one month have never made any profits in Tanzania) have always said that the cheapest fares are only available to advance bookings. This is the standard business model for low cost carriers: the prices rise towards the date of travel. Cheap tickets are real if you book early while latecomers are effectively subsidising the cheap seats. The advice is simple: book ahead and keep an eye on the Fastjet website for special offers. This is the best way to get bargains - and in this way Fastjet has enabled many people of limited means to enjoy air travel for the first time in their lives.
ReplyDeleteYes Fastjet is a low cost carrier. It appears that the people who have complained do not understand how a low cost airline works, as this is a new concept. Basically, the earlier you book the flight away from the departure date the cheaper the fare. The nearer to the date, and if there are fewer seats left then price goes up. Its a rolling scale. No airline would be able to sell all its seats at a low price, as the airline would go bust. This is how every low cost airline works around the world. If they want a cheap seat, dont wait till the last minute to book it, as it wont be cheap
ReplyDeleteIt seems some people have a fundamental misunderstanding about the way a low cost carrier works: the earlier you book, the cheaper the flight. If you turn up at the last minute, when there are fewer seats, then you pay a higher price. If you want to benefit from the lowest possible prices, you plan ahead and book your flight months earlier. What's so confusing about that?
ReplyDeletePassengers have to understand how the low cost model works. If you leave it to 7 days before departure, you will pay a high prices for a fare because fewer seats are available, but the earlier you book a seat, the cheaper the fare will be as more seats are available and need filling up. Boom early, get it cheap, book late and pay a price!
ReplyDeleteFASTJET IT IS NO LONGER LOW COST AIRLINE.
ReplyDeleteYou must be one of the 5% of passengers surveyed in 2014 who didn't think their prices were competitive…
Deletehttps://wolfganghthome.wordpress.com/2015/02/23/fastjet-releases-results-of-customer-survey-for-2014/fastjet-customer-satisfaction-results-2014-resize-2/
Fastjet is, and always will be a Low Cost Airline. Fastjet did not make this up, this is how every Low Cost Airline works around the world. Basically book early and you will get cheaper seats, as the departure date gets nearer the price goes up.
DeletePeople also do not seem to understand just what it costs to lease an aeroplane, train a pilot,co pilot and crew,ensure the plane is fully maintained to international safety standards, set up online bookings, offices, provide customer services etc, etc and yet STILL they complain when the price is not CHEAP.... If low cost models like Fastjet go out of business there will be few others who will try and run the same business ...why bother?
ReplyDeleteMuanzisha mada katumwa huyo na competitors, ukitaka kujua fast jet ni low cost au la waulize precision air walokutuma, why they withdrawn from every routes fast jet join? Tuwe wakweli wa tz, toka waje fast jet watu wengi tumeweza kupanda ndege jamani, na zile hisia za kuwa ndege usafiri wa wanasiasa na wafanya biashara wakubwa imeondoka, muhimu book safari yako mapema.
ReplyDeleteKama kweli wewe unamazoea ya kusafiri na ndege,Fastjet ni ndege ya bei nafuu sana.Mimi nimesafiri nao safari 45kwenda na kurudi Dar- Mwz tarehe 22.03.2015.Kwanza angalia aina ya abiria wa fastjet ndo utajua unafuu wake.Pili andaa safari yako mapema wiki tatu au nne kabla ya safari utaona unafuu wao.Kama tunaongea kama mawakala wa mashirika mengine ya ndege,tutatoa kasoro zetu kwakutumiwa.Ni ndege inayo zingatia usafi,na ni bora wakati wa hali yoyote ya hewa angani
ReplyDelete