Tiger Airways, good option for Sri Lankans visiting Malaysia, Australia
View(s):Story and pix by Nadia Fazlulhaq in Singapore
SINGAPORE – Most passengers travelling in low-cost carriers seldom get the opportunity to enjoy first class privileges both at the airport and on-board, but the ‘tigerPLUS’ facility by Tiger Airways gives a chance to all its passengers to enjoy business/first class lounge and priority check-in boarding facilities at Singapore’s Changi Airport.
Kaneswaran Avili
Established in 2004, Tiger Airways is one of Asia’s leading low-cost carriers with over 28 million passengers booking flights on Tiger Airways.
The airline has been in operation in Sri Lanka for a year with four flights per week and starting at Rs.10,750 from Colombo to Singapore and low-cost travel to many other destinations.
tigerPLUS facilities are presently available for flights departing from Singapore and by paying an additional 48 Singapore dollars (Sri Lankan Rs.4800), passengers can enjoy exclusive privileges such as access to SATS Premier Lounge, usually used by first class/business class passengers of international airlines.
The Premier Lounge offers free flow of refreshments that features local signature dishes and beverage including liquor, shower facility with amenities, private rest booths with state-of-the-art massage chairs and wireless high speed Internet connectivity.
tigerPLUS passengers will also enjoy priority check-in via dedicated check-in counters. The passengers also get priority boarding, thereby eliminating the hassle of waiting in line at boarding times.
Another service offered by Tiger Airways is ‘tigerconnect ‘which was introduced to ensure a hassle-free flight transfer service.
Tigerconnect customers can now make transfers at Changi airport without having to obtain a travel visa to enter Singapore, clear immigration or check-in luggage a second time for onward flights.
Tigerconnect, is an option to purchase two connecting flights in one single booking, from 50 destination across 13 countries in the Asia Pacific region operated by Tiger Airways and its partner airlines Mandala, SEAir, Scoot.
The countries range from Australia, China, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Thailand, Vietnam, Taiwan and Sri Lanka.
“This is a good flight opportunity for Sri Lankans varying from businessmen to China and other countries, to leisure travellers and parents visiting their children studying in Australia and Malaysia. With a growing number of passengers from Sri Lanka we are hoping introduce a number of low-cost packages, with the recent one coming in May, in view of first year anniversary in Sri Lanka,” Kaneswaran Avili, Commercial Director of Tiger Airways, Singapore told the Business Times. He said plans are ahead to increase flights by 2014.
Passengers with 2-3 hours to spare in-between flights can surf the Internet, go for a stroll at the Butterfly Garden or Sunflowers, enjoy some food and drinks or pick up gifts from a wide selection of retail stores within the airport.
Passengers with five hours or more to spare can hop on a tour bus organized by Changi Airport Group and take in the sights of
Tiger Airways planes
Singapore for free. Tigerconnect transfer only costs Singapore dollars 16 (Sri Lankan rupees 1600).
Other services offered by Tiger Airways are ‘tigerbites’, pre-order of flight meals five days prior to flight departure with a variety of on-board meals from Teriyaki Chicken rice to a Thai Green Curry, Mutton Biriyani, Nasi Lemak or a vegetarian cheesy mushroom Panini, all signature to Singapore and neighbouring countries.
‘seatselector’, is also a service for travelers to pre-select their preferred seats on their flights and ‘boardmefirst’, where passengers can beat the queue and board ahead of others.
Tiger Airways with a market capitalization of Singapore dollars 600 million operates a young fleet of 30 Airbus A320 aircraft from its bases in Singapore and Australia.
MAC Aviation Services Pvt. Ltd in Colombo holds the GSA for Tiger Airways.
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