I understand that Tiger Airways has recently started up service between Singapore and Darwin. Au. I plan to travel that route this coming May.
I do realize that Tiger Airways is a low cost carrier, but I am still interested in the aircraft, the seat comfort, the meal & beverage service, and the general quality of customer service.
Has anyone here on this board has already traveled on Tiger Airways? Any experiences that you can share?
Singapore to Darwin is 4+ hours. I recently flew Singapore to Phuket on Tiger Airways which was totally fine. I queued early and got an exit row seat. I would be willing to pay an extra few hundred USD or so to travel in business class on this 4+ hour flight. If the alternative to Tiger Airways for you is economy class on another airline then for sure do not pay a premium on another airline - Tiger is just fine.
Programs: CO Platinum, UA 1K, DL MM, former fan of TWA
Posts: 1,226
I have flown Tiger several times, and they seem to be OK as
a LCC. One thing to notice - the checked luggage allowance
is typically 15kg, and they monitor that very closely. I think
they make as much money on excess luggage charges as they
do by selling tickets!
Seat pitch is tight... not sure of the exact measurements, but
it is typical LCC - not what you would find on a full-service
airline. Food and beverage for sale - again, things seem to
be pretty typical for LCC. Planes are very new A320s.
Boarding procedures are a bit of a stampede - they may do
some preboarding for families and elderly, but after that, it is
a free-for-all. Stand close to the gate door if you want an
exit row seat.
All in all, a bit of a tight squeeze, and not a lot of extra amenities,
but the price is right... just don't pack much in your luggage!
This time I was prepared and made sure to chow down before/after the flight instead of during it, although the Billygoat Wine In A Can(tm) still made an excellent gag gift at S$4.50 a pop (and the Merlot doesn't taste nearly as atrocious as I'd expected). Unexpectedly, they've also added a reasonably interesting inflight magazine, although it's only updated every 3 months.
And yeah, the 15kg thing is no joke. My luggage weighed in at 15.2 kg and the check-in staff actually had a brief discussion about it before choosing to ignore it. And while the seat pitch is tolerable for short hops, I would also hesitate to take them for 4-hour trips like those to Darwin or Macau...
Is that per bag or per passenger? And do you know how much they charge for overweight bags?
Per passenger (as usual everywhere outside the US). Small print from tigerairways.com:
Quote:
The free checked baggage allowance is one item of baggage up to a maximum of 15kg per person. Passengers may not use the unused allowances of others. Only passengers travelling within the same reservation may pool their baggage allowance. Any excess over 15kg will be charged per kilo at the prevailing rates of the departure airport. (Singapore – SGD7.50 per kg, Thailand – THB200 per kg, Macau – HKD38 per kg, Darwin – AUD7.00, All other points – USD5.00 per kg) For safety reasons Tiger Airways will not accept any individual item exceeding 32 kilos.
(And yeah, you're not alone if you find sentences 2 & 3 rather contradictory.)
I am the original poster, and I do want to thank all of you for your knowledgeable and friendly responses to my earlier question. It is a good thing to be able to draw upon such a pool of knowledge on matters so far from home.
I checked out Tiger Airways schedule & price as compared to Australian Airlines: both have horrible four-times-weekly schedules that depart from Singapore late at night and arrive in Darwin at dawn. The two differences I found were in the fares charged and the excess baggage fees.
Tiger has a discount fare that amounts to about US$202 all in; the best that I could find on Australian was about US$298 all in. I always travel with the kitchen sink from New York, so I simply prepare myself for excess baggage fees. Tiger's excess baggage fee was fairly reasonable and would work out to about US$30-40 for me each way; Australian's excess baggage fee was much higher and would work out to nearly US$100 each way.
So, I took the plunge and purchased online with Tiger Airways, for flights in late May coming. I'll keep you posted as to the flight experiences later this spring.
Location: Scarsdale, NY USA; PLT AA; AA 2.5 mm; UA Premier; Hilton Diamond, Marriott Silver, AA is clueless why I fly
Posts: 629
Quote:
Originally Posted by jpatokal
And yeah, the 15kg thing is no joke. My luggage weighed in at 15.2 kg and the check-in staff actually had a brief discussion about it before choosing to ignore it.
I read on the Chiagi website that passengers are only allowed one carry on. Does that REALLY mean one piece or one piece of luggage and one personal item (e.g.; laptop bag)?
I figure at least ONE person on FT has carried their laptop with them when flying Tiger
I read on the Chiagi website that passengers are only allowed one carry on. Does that REALLY mean one piece or one piece of luggage and one personal item (e.g.; laptop bag)?
I usually take a (small) rollaboard and a backpack as carry-on. I've never had any airline at SIN, including Tiger (4x), complain.
I read on the Chiagi website that passengers are only allowed one carry on. Does that REALLY mean one piece or one piece of luggage and one personal item (e.g.; laptop bag)?
I figure at least ONE person on FT has carried their laptop with them when flying Tiger
I've taken quite abit . The secret in CHANGI is the check-in people look at what you've got. If they don't see it, you've gotten it on the plane. No problem at security, entering the boarding area, or during boarding.
I've flown SIN-CXN a few times. At 3+ hours... it was too long. I could do 4, but it's a long flight.
DO NOT sit in the first 5 rows... children, infants, and families board 1st. At 5-7 rows back, I've lasted alot longer than when I sat in the 1st 3 rows.
My vacation has come and gone, and I'm now able to report on the flight from Singapore to Darwin on Tiger Airways in late May - early June 2006.
The flight frequency between Singapore and Darwin was not convenient: only 4 times weekly. The flight schedule was atrocious: departing from Singapore at 10:30pm arriving in Darwin at 4:50am. The return flight departed Darwin at 5:30 and arrived in Singapore at 8:40am.
The checkin at Singapore was tedious: slow computers and slower moving employees. Good thing there was only one flight per hour leaving the Budget Terminal. The new Budget Terminal was okay with decent amenities (cafe, shop, restrooms). A nice point was a standup kiosk with several computers offering free internet service. The walk to board was very long, and extended out onto the tarmac. Seating was 'wherever you want.' Security, passport checks, and boarding pass checks went on ad infinitum: at least 5 times, perhaps every 200 feet.
Inflight seating was very tight: my knees grazed the seatback in front of me even though I am only 5'6". Mercifully the flight was only half-full so I had an aisle seat with an empty middle seat. A cooked omlette and beverages were available for purchase. The plane itself was dreary looking, not at all new or upgraded looking.
Upon returning from Darwin to Singapore, the procedure was pretty much the same. Once again, good thing the flight was only half-full. I had a connection for which I luckily left 3 hours; I needed every minute of the time to retrieve my luggage, get over to the main terminals on the free shuttle bus, and make the connection. I had baggage, and Tiger does not interline the baggage not even with Singapore Airlines which was my actual connection.
I was charged for every kilo of excess baggage on both segments.
The employees at each point were fairly pleasant and business like, though slow moving.
My bottom line after this one round-trip flight: Tiger would be okay for those passengers with no baggage and for those passengers with no same-day connection. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would initially rate Tiger at about a 4 - but since I know that Singapore Airlines is behind the operation I'd rate Tiger only at about a 1. I simply have a higher expectation when Singapore Airlines is involved, and I feel that they are supporting a lesser quality operation.
The one good point of the flight was that it enabled me, with great inconvenience and discomfort, to visit Australia more cheaply than otherwise.
Last edited by JohnWM; Jun 19, 06 at 3:52 pm..
Reason: to correct mispelling.
) and they're still pretty much the same as they were when I wrote this last year:
And while the seat pitch is tolerable for short hops, I would also hesitate to take them for 4-hour trips like those to Darwin or Macau...
. The secret in CHANGI is the check-in people look at what you've got. If they don't see it, you've gotten it on the plane. No problem at security, entering the boarding area, or during boarding.
