TIGER Airways has been criticized for taking too long to stop selling tickets following the grounding of its aircraft over safety concerns.
Tiger Airways Australia has temporarily suspended ticket sales for flights beyond Saturday, when the grounding is due to be lifted if the airline gets clearance from regulators.
State and federal consumer regulators warned Tiger that if it continued selling tickets for flights from Saturday, it needed to tell customers that it was uncertain whether it would be flying and that it was dependent on CASA approval.
Tiger announced at 10pm (AEST) yesterday it was suspending ticket sales, but the regulator stated that the lack of response until then had been unsatisfactory and it wants to know why it took so long to respond.
CASA and Tiger say their ongoing talks have been constructive but that it is too early to tell whether the regulator will be seeking an extension of the grounding or if and when Tiger can resume operations.
Even if Tiger’s suspension is lifted, it appears increasingly unlikely it will operate next week.