Tiger Airways - Thoughts

[Maikha Ly]

Hi all

I have some accumulated leave coming up, and currently in the midsts of planning a holiday to Adelaide and South Australia.

Out of three modes of transport, flying there is my best bet, and now I'm contemplating on who will get me there. I'd like to ask about Tiger Airways.

As really I'm in no rush to get there, and the idea of a dirt cheap airfare appeals to me, has anyone ever flown Tiger Airways, and aside from all the myths and image they portray on their own Ch7 show, does anyone rate Tiger as worthy of consideration to fly to Adelaide from Sydney, and I'd really appreciate hearing this from people who have flown Tiger, and not just assume these things.

I will be travelling very light and won't be dragging a suitcase with me anywhere, so I assume I should be fine with their baggage limits and the like.


Thanks for any advice provided! A fourthcoming post will inquire about Adelaide and SA itself.


If not, guess I'll be going with QF then.

[Justin L]

Hi Maikha,

I originate from Adelaide and while living in Sydney before moving to the States I used Tiger frequently when going home for whether it be the footy, Christmas or other family/friends events. The lure of $48 fares or even $83 for Christmas Eve was too great.

I had previously flown on Tiger several times on many routes within Australia and from Singapore and have never had any problems. The extent of my delays was about two hours once in Melbourne due to weather, but all carriers faced the same delays that day. I was also delayed an hour in Canberra once but no big deal. All my other flights have been normal uneventful flights. The aircraft are new and bright inside.

Check in at Sydney T2 is in the centre of the check in desks, to the immediate right of Virgin as you walk in. I will say the check in queues could be organised better at T2. There is often confusion about which flights you can line up for, but the best thing to do is just line up anyway as you will wait a while while the check in agents' time is taken up explaining to people why they missed their flight or why they must pay for excess luggage. Online check in will make things easier in the future. Tiger use the gates at the end of each pier at T2 depending on the flight.

In Adelaide, the check in line can also be long but if you get there the recommended two hours before your flight you will be fine. As Tiger have no logo on the back of the check in wall like the other airlines, you may have to look towards the bottom of the desks to work out which desks they are using, or just check the screens.

I have never had less than a positive experience with Tiger and their fares have meant I have been able to travel more often to more places. In fact, I have had positive experiences on all airlines I have flown, even when I have had flight cancellations or serious delays on any carrier, whether it be QF, DJ, JQ, TT or non-Australian carriers. It's about your expectations and how you handle the situation.

Re Adelaide, if it's your first time there then I recommend the following places if you're into exploring within the city:

Adelaide CBD:
- North Terrace (Cultural Precinct/Adelaide University)
- Rundle Mall (Shopping Precinct)
- Rundle Street (Cafe Precinct)
- Hindley Street (Nightlife Precinct)
- Gouger Street (Restaurant Precinct/Chinatown/Central Market)
- Riverbank (River Torrens/Festival Centre/Elder Park/Convention Center/Railway Station/Casino - walk across the river to Adelaide Oval and Memorial Drive then on to North Adelaide)

North Adelaide:
- O'Connell Street (Cafe/Restaurant Precinct)
- Melbourne Street (Cafe/Restaurant Precinct)

Beaches:
- Glenelg (main beach suburb - catch tram from city)
- Henley Beach (locals beach with restaurants/pubs)
- Brighton Beach (locals beach with restaurants/pubs)

Sport:
- West Lakes (AAMI Stadium if you want to experience an AFL game amongst one-eyed fans who grew up with the game)

Further afield (1-2 hours driving from Adelaide):
- Wine Regions (Barossa Valley/McLaren Vale/Clare Valley)
- South Coast (Victor Harbor - yes Harbor has no "u" in the spelling)
- Adelaide Hills (Mt Lofty Summit, Hahndorf, Cleland National Park, Hills Towns of Stirling/Aldgate/Bridgewater, etc.)

Don't go to Adelaide expecting a Sydney or Melbourne. Adelaide's proximity to those cities can work against it as people tend to compare with these much larger and vibrant cities. Compare Adelaide to cities of similar sizes like Brisbane, Perth or Auckland (all great cities) and you will appreciate it more. It really is a great little city.

Hope this helps.

[Robert Zweck]

Maikha,

Email me when you have some definite dates and I may be able to show you around

[Maikha Ly]

Justin, many thanks for your detailed post! Will digest it abit more later.
And Robert, I'll get in touch depending how it pans out!


The main dilemma I have is that I'd like to be able to drive around Adelaide and to all these outlying places I'd like to visit.

I've done my sums from the cost (And time!) to drive there from Sydney, and taking it aboard a train, however, both seem a little steep for my liking, and was hoping I could just fly to Adelaide and hire a car the moment I step off the flight.

I'm 22yrs, and even though I've had a perfect driving record, I doubt the hire companies care about it, so I expect an age surcharge as well. Would anyone know where one could get a good deal to hire a decent car for a fortnight? As long as it has a CD player and Air-Con, I'm very much set!

[NeilP]

Maikha,

I agree with Justin.

I flew ADL-SYD some time last year and was expecting exactly what you see in the show. I got there early as recommended. Their desks are hard to find if you don't look properly. The queue ended up being long but moved quickly. The staff were polite, boarding was simple (to those who listened to the announcements!), the aircraft was clean, and the flight was pleasant. I couldn't fault them.

I have recommended to others that if you are after a "no frills" flight and don't have a propensity to cause issues (ie, READ the fine print, FOLLOW instructions and announcements), then Tiger are excellent value for money.

Just my opinion, and I would definitely fly with them again.

[Steve Jones]

I have flown <checking logbook...> 20 sectors on Tiger in Australia and haven't been able to fault them. I agree with exactly what NeilP has said.

[Maikha Ly]

Thanks gents, definitely some worthwhile food for thought!

Does anyone know what deals are avaliable for car hire in Adelaide? Even if I'm 22yrs... (Maybe some of the backpacker joints?).


Thanks

[Lukas M]

Originally Posted by Maikha Ly

Does anyone know what deals are avaliable for car hire in Adelaide? Even if I'm 22yrs... (Maybe some of the backpacker joints?).
Thanks

Yeah here

[Adam.S]

Originally Posted by Maikha Ly

I will be travelling very light and won't be dragging a suitcase with me anywhere, so I assume I should be fine with their baggage limits and the like.

How do you mean exactly? Are you buying a ticket for just carry-on luggage?
I did with Tiger last year, just had by backpack after staying overnight.
Other then a change of clothes I didn't have much 'heavy items' in my bag, but was still a little suprised to see that it only just made it under the 7kgs weight limit at check-in.

....I only say this for caution. Something to be quite aware of when packing - (7kgs is not alot when it comes to the super-sensitive scales at the check in desk )

I also had no issues flying with Tiger last year.

[Bernie P]

Just a question, but, whats to stop leaving a backpack with friends who are seeing you of (for example) when checking in? This way, it does not need to be weighed and therefore, not an issue!

I only ask this as on my recent trip, I had a backpack (laptop, camera, and a change of clothes as I was going AU to EU and then EU to UAE and then to AU, so the climatic changes were very noticable, and at NO TIME, was I asked to have this weighed!

Just putting it out there, thats all!!!!