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Tiger Airways welcomes the Australian Government’s decision to abolish frequent flyer incentives for staff and to save taxpayer money by seeking out low fare alternatives for corporate domestic air travel.
The new travel policy for government staff, public servants and parliamentarians which takes effect in July, is estimated to save Australian tax payers around $160 million over four years and requires that staff actively seek out low fares when travelling domestically by air for work purposes.
Although Tiger Airways didn’t participate in the government tender, the airline expects to see a significant rise in government travel with Australia’s only true low fare airline as public servants are encouraged to shop online and seek the best travel deals, given Tiger Airways consistently provides the lowest fares for domestic travel.
Steve Burns, Tiger Airways Commercial Director, says “Tiger Airways is growing fast and now with multiple daily flights on many popular routes such as Sydney -Melbourne, and Melbourne- Brisbane, not only is it affordable, but also extremely convenient.
“It’s great the government is focused on cutting its annual travel budget by around $40 million a year and abolishing frequent flyer incentives for staff. However, flying with low cost airlines such as Tiger Airways could actually save Australian tax payers $100 million a year or even more. Every cent counts now, especially given the increasing cost of living and interest rate rises.
“Airfares today are at record lows and there are huge savings for anyone considering air travel. In just over two years of operation, Tiger Airways has already saved Australians over $130 million* in lower fares,” he says.
As for frequent flyer programmes, Mr Burns adds “not only have Australian air travelers had enough of paying sky-high airfares for too long, many are also frustrated with airline incentive programmes that over-promise and in reality, are difficult to redeem and end up costing a fortune to get any value from.
“Put into perspective, price conscious travelers would need to spend over two thousand dollars on Qantas flights between Brisbane and Melbourne to be eligible for one “free” one way flight with their frequent flyer programme.
“Tiger Airways doesn’t discriminate, we ensure everyone gets to share the benefits of the low fare revolution we’ve brought to the nation,” says Mr Burns.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
