Cape Town – CemAir and Airlink have firmly rejected FlySafair’s claim that overbooking is a standard practice among airlines.
Both carriers said they do not engage in overbooking, emphasising their commitment to ethical business practices and passenger trust.
FlySafair is currently under investigation by the National Consumer Commission (NCC) following a consumer complaint about its overbooking practices. The complaint arose after a passenger was denied a seat on a flight they had booked due to overbooking.
Defending its policy, FlySafair said that overbooking is a globally accepted industry standard used to manage no-shows and maintain affordable ticket prices. The airline said that its overbooking policy is conservative, impacting less than 1% of its capacity.
“We do overbook flight to ensure we keep our tickets as affordable as possible for our passengers. We do see how inconvenient this can be and therefore offer compensation for passengers that were not able to take the flight they’ve booked,” the airline said on X.
…we do overbook flight to ensure we keep our tickets as affordable as possible for our passengers. We do see how inconvenient this can be and therefore offer compensation for passengers that were not able to take the flight they’ve booked. -BC
— FlySafair (@FlySafair) January 5, 2025
But CemAir criticised overbooking as an unethical practice, pointing out that FlySafair does not refund fares for no-show passengers, which undermines its justification for overbooking.
“We note the recent confirmation by competitor airline FlySafair that passenger overbooking is part of its standard business model as well as their assertion that it is a “globally-accepted” practice. FlySafair’s contention that “all local airlines indulge in this practice” is a baseless fabrication,” CemAir said in a statement.
It added: “Furthermore, the justification from FlySafair that ‘overbooking assists in mitigating the financial impact of no-show passengers’, can only hold true if the airline refunds the no-show ticket fare thereby suffering the loss of revenue on that seat with zero resale opportunity.
“It is our understanding that FlySafair does not offer refunds in such circumstances. These contentions will no doubt be tested in the National Consumer Commission inquiry, the initiation of which has reflected poorly on the industry.”
CemAir’s Chief Commercial Officer, Shaniel Singh, reaffirmed the airline’s straightforward booking policies and its dedication to hassle-free travel.
“We value the confidence our passengers place in us every time they choose to fly with CemAir,” said Singh.
“To uphold this trust, our booking policies are straightforward and aligned with our commitment to providing hassle-free travel. We will cooperate fully with any investigation by the NCC.”
Airlink also distanced itself from FlySafair’s stance, confirming that it does not overbook flights and rejecting the implication that all South African airlines follow this practice.
“Airlink would like to inform all its customers, and future travellers, that we do not overbook our flights. Contrary to what has been said publicly by FlySafair, not all South African airlines partake in this practice.”
Notice | Airlink Does Not Overbook Its Flights.
Airlink would like to inform all its customers, and future travellers, that we do not overbook our flights. Contrary to what has been said publicly by FlySafair, not all South African airlines partake in this practice.#Airlink… pic.twitter.com/o6advaP4ot
— Airlink (@Fly_Airlink) January 14, 2025
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
