By Azaraimy HH & James Kon
The public welcomes the arrival of the second budget airline with open arms, adding that it is always good to have more choices.
Brunei is one of 21 destinations that Tiger Airways will be flying to, with other countries including Australia, India, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
The Weekend asked public members on Friday on their opinions on Tiger Airways, during which some expressed their concern on the safety and security of low-budget airlines.
Others said they need to learn more about the services on offer before considering the low-fare way of travelling.
"We know fully well that services from a budget airline will not be as good as what Royal Brunei Airlines offers," said Sadon bin Haji Mohd Taha. "Besides safety, one thing Bruneians look for is how smooth the travelling experience is, or the hassles involved."
He also said, "If I were travelling with my family, I would definitely choose RBA since comfort comes first. But if I were alone, a budget airline would do."
Another public member, Didi, said, "If the tickets are cheap, why not? I'm sure people will think about comfort first, then things such as safety and insurance. Since the government gave them the green light to come to Brunei, it must mean Tiger Airways is safe.
"Most people think that budget airlines are dodgy. But there hasn't been a bad incident involving passengers from Brunei flying low budget. There is always risk involved when it comes to air travelling."
Meanwhile, Jimmy said, "It's about time there is a cheaper airline flying from Brunei to Singapore. It think it'd increase the number of locals travelling to Singapore. I, for one, would go for it."
He also said, "There seems to be a lot of charges when opting for low-budget airlines. We never know how much we eventually would be forking out for the tickets because of the volatility of such thing as fuel subcharge.
"I think I speak for many people when I say, when we book a ticket on the Internet, we want to know how much it costs since a lot of us need to work out the budget before going on a holiday."
Source: Borneo Bulletin Weekend
