Consumer Commission initiate investigation into FlySafair overbooking practices

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The National Consumer Commission has launched an investigation into FlySafair over claims of overbooking and overselling practices.

This follows a complaint in the media, including social media platforms from a passenger who was denied boarding despite having a confirmed booking.

“So we show up at the airport and @FlySafair says we don’t have seats for the same flight we paid for. If you have 200 seats why take payments for 300 passengers,” the passenger wrote.

FlySafair admitted to overbooking as a strategy to keep ticket prices affordable and offers compensation to affected passengers.

We'd like to apologise to all passengers who have been denied boarding due to overbooking. We know how disappointing this can be. We are committed to transparency and customer satisfaction.

As a result, we have shared an article https://t.co/Ykrh6S5e3O that provides more…

— FlySafair (@FlySafair) January 5, 2025

Responding to the disgruntled customer, the airline said; “Whilst we understand the importance of passengers reaching their destination on time and on the flight that they have paid for, we do overbook flight to ensure we keep our tickets as affordable as possible for our passengers.

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“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.

Consumers urged to assist with investigation

The NCC has established communication with the airline and required relevant information to kickstart the investigation, acting commissioner, Hardin Ratshisusu revealed.

He added that they will prioritise this investigation given the nature of the allegations.

Ratshisusu urged consumers affected by this practise to come forward and provide information that could assist the investigation.