AS AIRLINE passenger traffic in Indonesia grows and the 2015 implementation of the ASEAN Open Skies Agreement draws near, Indonesia’s Ministry of Transportation has called on airlines and ticketing agents to turn their attention towards ensuring passenger rights are met.
Speaking at the recent Association of Air Ticketing Companies in Indonesia (ASTINDO) congress in Jakarta, the ministry’s director of air transportation, Djoko Murjatmojo, said: “In the last few years, we have been focusing on how to operate airlines properly, and it is now time to take care of passenger rights.”
He quoted the example of how an airline was obliged to book a hotel for passengers to take the next day’s flight when a flight was delayed. But a mismatch in expectations caused passengers, who had paid a budget fare, to demand a five-star room. “This would not have happened if they were well informed of their rights from the beginning,” he remarked.
Therefore, he said ticketing agents must better educate passengers.
“(Passengers) need to know if the flight is a codeshared one. They need to be informed on what facilities are available in the airport of origin and in the destination, especially when passengers are disabled or have reduced mobility. Airlines must have this information for ticketing sales staff to pass on to the passengers,” he explained.
According to ministry data, the number of air travellers in Indonesia hit 77.2 million in 2012, 61.5 million of which travelled domestic. Demand for air travel in the country has increased by more than 16 per cent annually in the last 10 years – one of the highest growth rates in the world – with an average load factor of about 80 per cent in recent years.
With such a buoyant market, Djoko said it was important for ticketing agents to have staff with competency certificates in order to be competitive when the ASEAN Open Skies Agreement and free movement of labour takes place in 2015.
*Our headline initially stated that it was ASTINDO who was calling for education on passenger rights. This is incorrect and has been amended to the above.
