Public Defender: Singapore Airlines complaint highlights raw deals for Australian globetrotters

A KEYBOARD slip that cost a Singapore Airlines customer hundreds of dollars also showed how the industry gouges consumers through outlandish fees and charges.

Yvonne and Marino Roberto claim the error cost them $660.

JUST one false stroke of the keyboard cost Yvonne Roberto and her husband Marino $660. And it’s just one of many ways airlines are gouging consumers through fees and charges that bear little resemblance to the costs incurred.

Ms Roberto went online to book two Singapore Airlines return flights to Switzerland earlier this year. But when she received the confirmation email a few minutes later, she realised she had ­accidentally booked the flights for July instead of August.

“I tried to change it online but it said it would cost me an extra $330 per ticket,” Ms Roberto said.

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“So I contacted Singapore Airlines and explained. I was told the only way I could avoid the penalty would be by booking more expensive fares for an extra $1000 each.

“The booking was only in their system for a few minutes. How can this cost them $660 to change?”

Singapore Airlines has encouraged Ms Roberto to get in touch for further investigations.

When Public Defender contacted the airline a spokesman ­denied Ms Roberto had been charged rebooking fees.

He said Ms Roberto had in fact been charged an additional $160 per ticket, which reflected the price ­increase that applied to the later flight date, plus an additional $101 per ticket to select specific seats on the flight.

“We agreed to waive the change fee in this instance, as we deemed Mrs Roberto had made a genuine mistake,” he said.

Confused? Ms Roberto is not the only one. When it comes to additional fees, Australians are getting a raw deal on international travel, according to consumer ­advocate Choice.

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A recent Choice survey of 1517 Australians aged 18-75 who had taken a domestic flight for a holiday in the past 12 months and had also taken at least one international flight in the past two years found that nearly 40 per cent of air travellers experienced a problem with their airline at some point, but comparatively few ­register a complaint.

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“If you get sent packing by an airline after making a complaint, it’s important to escalate the issue to the Airline Customer Advocate or NSW Fair Trading. Airlines should be held accountable for their mistakes,” Choice spokesman Tom Godfrey said.

Singapore Airlines has asked Ms Roberto to provide all documentation relating to her booking that suggests she has been charged the change fee.

“We encourage her to contact us so we can investigate further,” a spokesman said.