HK Consumer Council reports decrease in airline complaints, Gilly Wong: 'Communicate with consumers as early as possible'

Hong Kong Consumer Council received over a thousand complaints regarding airline tickets and services in the first eight months of this year, a decrease of more than 200 compared to the same period last year.

Complaints included changes to seat assignments after purchasing specific seats due to aircraft type changes, not receiving priority treatment after buying priority services and being asked to check carry-on luggage at the gate.

Ms. Gilly Wong Fung-han, Chief Executive of the Consumer Council, stated today (Sept. 18) on a radio program that airline complaints mainly fall into categories such as changes or cancellations of bookings or seats, baggage allowance, service attitude, and flight delays. Complaints arise when businesses' services or compensation do not meet consumer expectations.

Wong suggested that airlines communicate with consumers as early as possible when changes occur. She pointed out that due to flexible pricing by airlines, discrepancies can easily arise if there are oversights in pricing determination or if a more humanized and flexible approach is not taken during execution.

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