Alarm bell sounded over travel industry, says Hong Kong Consumer Council, amid rise in complaints over budget airlines
Complainants angry over inclusion of extras like insurance and meals in the price of cheap airline tickets
The Consumer Council has warned that an alarm bell for the tourism industry has been sounded, as the number of travel complaints rose 41 per cent.
Budget airlines were seen as one of the main factors leading to more complaints. Gripes about cheap airlines rose 57 per cent to 1,197 cases last year compared with 2014.
Total travel-related complaints increased from 1,879 in 2014 to 2,642 last year, making them the second most reported category after telecommunications, which stayed top for the 16th consecutive year.
READ MORE: Complaints about budget airlines operating in Hong Kong surge 10-fold
Among travel complaints, more than 70 per cent were related to air tickets and airline services.
One example of complaints about budget airlines were unclear instructions over charges for separate service items, said council chief executive Gilly Wong Fung-han.
“Consumers have to pay separately for luggage weight, seat choices or food on board. This can lead to price disparities when payment is made,” she said.
Wong said in some cases travel insurance and food are included by default when consumers purchase air tickets, even though purchasers did not intend to accept the services.
Another problem area was inflexibility in changing flights. “When the outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome was reported in South Korea last year, many customers hoped to switch destinations, but their requests were either rejected or they had to pay a big handling fee,” said Wong.
Professor Wong Yuk-shan, the council’s chairman, called for the creation of a powerful Travel Industry Authority as soon as possible.
“It is very alarming for the tourism industry in Hong Kong now ... [The authority] would be empowered to take care of this and even prosecute those who commit this kind of misbehaviour,” said Wong.
READ MORE: Complaints over online flight booking procedures in Hong Kong soar in last year
The Legislative Council’s tourism representative Yiu Si-wing said Hong Kong people should familiarise themselves with the way budget airlines operate. “The most important thing is to see if the airline has misled consumers in promoting its services,” said Yiu.
However, even though overall complaints from visitors dropped, those from mainland tourists rose by 11 per cent over purchases of ginseng and dried seafood and 21 per cent for jewellery and watches.
In one case, a pharmacy charged a mainland tourist, who was purchasing four types of dried seafood and Chinese herbal medicine, for one unit when that person was initially quoted a lower price for a different unit. The tourist was forced to pay HK$76,160. The store agreed to return 80 per cent of the money after police were called in.
Wong Yuk-shan warned that such undesirable practices would destroy the city’s reputation as a “shopping paradise” and undermine the retail industry.
Yiu said visitors could seek protection through the Trade Descriptions Ordinance.
