Sales and Revenue Manager for Samoa Airways, Chris Dalton says they are re-enforcing a non-transferrable and non-refundable ticket policy effective immediately.
Initially, Samoa Airways airline would issue a voucher for those who don’t show up on the day of the flight or called in to cancel their tickets, but as of last week Friday 15 July 2022 that has changed.
“All tickets are non-transferrable because it is a national security and while it has been done in the recent past, it has to stop,” said Dalton in an interview with radio Polynesia.
Adding that Samoa Airways is not doing anything “new” but they are re-enforcing policies and rules already in place, just not being enforced.”
Dalton said it will be challenging and the company will get “backlash from its customers” but it has to be done.
According to Dalton, aside from the security issues, their customers are not showing up on their scheduled flight days and some don’t bother to call in to cancel it and the airline misses the opportunity to resell the ticket.
“Like any other business, we have to be sustainable and with the current market we have to enforce that now to make sure the airline survives.”
He also noted that their twin otter aircraft are very old, and in order to get enough funding to invest in a new aircraft, to improve their services; improve flights time and experience we need money but if we don’t operate as we should by following policies we will not get enough money to keep operating to invest.
“And for that to happen we need to operate profitably not just sustainably ”
