Thursday, 19 March 2015

LION AIR CASE, A LESSON FOR THE GOVERNMENT, CONSIDER THE ISSUANCE OF LIGHT PERMIT



Consumers were let down by the service of one of the Indonesian airlines due to delays of flying schedule which is not accompanied with clear information about the cause of the delay. This is immediately responded by the National Consumer Protection Agency (BKPN), represented by Vice Chairman of BKPN, Yusuf Shofie. David M.L. Tobing, S.H., M.Kn. as Coordinator of Communications and Education Commission of BKPN believes that the government as  a regulator should investigate the incident, because the last few days is the culmination of the previous delays which often occurred.

“The government should not only provides a new route permit, but also has to evaluate the existing routes, and if is necessary should cut routes that already exist, in is necessary should cut routes that already exists, in order to create balance between number of aircrafts, number of routes, number of crews and management capabilities. Lion Air route service should be reduced a few percent of the current service as a form of sanction, and should re-evaluate if will be given a new route permit.

So it is inappropriate if the Minister of Transportation will not issue sanction by not issuing a new route permit, because the existing routes should be reduced, said David, on Monday (February 23). Lion Air should seriously change its attitude so that consumer protection is prioritized, rather than for seeking profit alone in order to pay off debt to buy or lease aircrafts. Furthermore, the Minister of Transportation should revise Regulation No. 77/2011 on airline responsibility, especially concerning the amount of compensation for victims of flight delays and cancellations.

Because it is not only the ticket price which is considered as a loss for consumer, but there are many other losses suffered by consumers, including transport to and from the airport, key performance indicator should be set, namely “percentage of punctuality of arrival of an airline at the destination,” so that automatically departure tome should also be timely.

If it does not reach the target set, the authorities should give a stern warning to the airline. Thus, it is expected that all the related sub-systems should be fixed by the airline so that the main indicator can be achieved.

In the future, it is necessary to set up a system of dispute resolution which process is fast, not following the dispute resolution procedure which is currently in effect and which is currently in effect and which process takes years, because in Law No. 8/1999 on Consumer Protection, losses must be compensated within a period of 7 (seven) days, he explained. Such occurrence is not expected to recur, and all airlines could fly on time according to the schedule they set.

Lion Air Statement

Meanwhile, an official statement from Lion Air is as follows: some Lion Air flights have been delayed since Wednesday, February 18, 2015. This is because there are 3 Lion Air fleets which are damaged by foreign object, one in Semarang and two in Jakarta. “There are three of our aircrafts that are damaged by foreign object on Wednesday morning. This led to a series of disturbance of flight schedule. Moreover, the damage of the 3 aircrafts occurred during in the peak season of Chinese New Dwiyanto Akbar Hidayat, Corporate Secretary of Lion Air.

“On behalf of the management of Lion Air, we apologize for the inconvenience experienced by the passengers. We ensure that we implement Ministerial Regulation No. 77 regarding passengers compensation. We are also giving a full-refund option.

Lion Air management did not keep silent, and kept trying so that this problem can fly as soon as possible. We have taken the necessary steps. One is that at the moment we are working to send 6 spare planes. But it will take time for flight documentation, “he said.

“Obviously, we comply with the regulations and implement ministerial Regulation No. 77 concerning passengers compensation. Although we had a small problem, which is limited cash at the airport because it coincides with holiday. We will also facilitate passengers who wish to cancel flights with refund.” (E) 

Business News - February 27, 2015

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