FlySafair is facing an investigation by the National Consumer Council for alleged overbooking on passenger seats. Picture: Supplied
The National Consumer Commission (NCC) has launched an investigation into FlySafair's allegedly overbooking or overselling practices, following concerns raised in the media, including social media platforms, about these practices.
“On this basis, the NCC has initiated an investigation into the conduct of overbooking and/or overselling by FlySafair to assess and review compliance with provisions of the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008,” the NCC said in a statement on Wednesday.
The controversy started when a customer, Thato Nsala, expressed frustration on the X social media platform after arriving at the airport, only to be told that there were no seats available despite having booked a flight.
“We showed up at the airport, and FlySafair said we didn’t have seats for the same flight we paid for. If you have 200 seats, why take payments for 300 passengers?” Nsala said.
FlySafair (@FlySafair) responded on X to Nsala on January 5: “...we do overbook flights to ensure we keep our tickets as affordable as possible for our passengers. We do see how inconvenient this can be and therefore offer compensation for passengers that were not able to take the flight they’ve booked. -BC”
The NCC said in a statement it had established communication with the airline and required relevant information to kickstart the investigation.
Acting Commissioner Hardin Ratchisusu, in announcing the investigation, said: “The NCC will prioritise this investigation given the nature of the allegations; consumers affected by this practice are urged to come forward and provide information that could assist the investigation.”
FlySafair said in reports that passengers don’t always arrive for their flights, so that without overbooking, the airline would have more empty seats, and everyone would need to pay a higher fare to cover the empty seat costs.