South African (SA) low-cost airline FlySafair says it welcomes the decision by the National Consumer Commission (NCC) to refer its overbooking practices to the National Consumer Tribunal, where it intends to defend the legality of its policy.<\/p>\n
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The airline said the Tribunal is the appropriate forum to resolve differences in legal interpretation between itself and the Commission, adding that it remains confident it acted lawfully, transparently and in good faith.<\/p>\n
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FlySafair argues that overbooking is permitted under Section 47 of SA’s Consumer Protection Act and is a globally accepted practice used by airlines to account for passengers who fail to show up for flights.<\/p>\n
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According to the airline, more than 99.98% of passengers travelled as booked during the period under review. While around 5 000 customers were booked on overbooked flights, only 0.02% were ultimately denied boarding after anticipated no-shows materialised as expected.<\/p>\n
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The airline said all affected passengers were offered alternative travel arrangements, refunds and compensation. It also noted that 93.3% of its flights departed on time during the period and that no flights were cancelled.<\/p>\n
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FlySafair further said it has co-operated fully with the Commission’s investigation and provided extensive operational data throughout the process.<\/p>\n
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The airline maintains that its overbooking policy is conservative and designed to improve operational efficiency while helping keep air travel affordable.<\/p>\n
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The matter will now be considered by the National Consumer Tribunal, which will determine whether FlySafair’s overbooking practices comply with SA consumer protection laws. Meanwhile, the airline says all scheduled flights continue to operate normally and customer bookings remain unaffected.<\/p>\n
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