By Abdul Ghani Al-Qash
Makkah newspaper recently published a report highlighting the decision of the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) allowing a steep increase in domestic airfares. The big hike in airfare was approved in view of the increasing demand despite the fact that the level of services remained poor.
One wonders why the authorities have allowed an increase in the ticket fare before improving the services at airports and ensuring on-time arrival and departure of flights.
Much before the new hike, airline companies have started charging hefty fees for changing reservations, cancellations and refunds.
A comparison of ticket fares on domestic and international routes from the same airport on the same date has shown a big similarity. In some cases, domestic fares were higher than international fares.
The second phase of the price hike came into effect on Jan. 1, 2017. The most ridiculous of all is statements by some officials who justified the hike saying that the international ticket fares are much higher. We should also note that GACA has not fixed any upper ceiling for the price hike by all airlines that operate domestic flights.
International flight prices are regulated by three factors: competition, distance and demand. Domestic ticket prices are increased and new taxes and fees are imposed on customers, not because of any competition but because of the greed for profits.
People are forced to pay the increased fares as they do not have an alternative because of the monopoly on most domestic routes. The airline often hikes prices without any justification.
The Makkah newspaper made bookings on domestic flights on Tuesday, Jan. 3, to find out the disparities in pricing. Surprisingly, the newspaper found that domestic ticket fares were higher than some international fares.
The problem does not stop there. Flight delays have become common place in our airports. My brother said his flight was delayed three times last week and on one occasion he arrived at the destination five hours late.
About a month ago I boarded a Saudia flight from a foreign airport. After the boarding, I sat in the aircraft for an hour waiting to take off and the airline did not inform the passengers about the reason for the delay. The crew then asked the passengers to deplane. The passengers remained stranded at the airport for another four hours.
Another flight to a European destination was also delayed after the take-off was announced along with the customary recital of the travel supplication. The plane remained on the ground for more than half an hour due to a malfunctioning of the air conditioning system. The airline officials did not make any apology to the passengers. At the same time we talk profusely about the airline’s on-time arrival and departure of flights and about statistics highlighting its good performance.
I wish the GACA had given priority to improving the services at its airports and upgrading the state of its passenger lounges before allowing the national carrier to hike its fares. It is not acceptable to increase fees and taxes without a corresponding improvement in the quality of services. People know that airport services in neighboring countries are much better than in the Kingdom.
The time chosen for announcing the increase in domestic airfares was not appropriate because the country is already going through an economic recession. I hope the authorities would review the decision to raise domestic airfares and take effective steps to improve the airport services.
