Axed flights blamed on poor communication

Wallis Wang and Ayra Wang

A lack of internal communication and cooperation within Greater Bay Airlines has resulted in the cancellation of 128 flights to Japan, South Korea and Thailand, scheduled for February and March, according to a report submitted to the government.

The Transport and Logistics Bureau received the airline's report on January 29, followed by supplementary information on Friday. The report indicated that the primary causes of the scheduling failures were inadequate internal communication and poor cooperation from customer service operations.

The airline attributed thesignificant cancellationsto decision-making and communication failures by a new commercial and management team hired late last year.

This team, responsible for aircraft resource allocation, neglected the airline's cancellation protocol, delayed decisions excessively, communicated poorly, and overlooked customer service considerations.

The airline has since removed the team.

Greater Bay Airlines said it reached out to all 5,000 affected passengers, offering alternatives such as refunds and transfers to other flights.

"The report also outlined several proposed improvement measures. These include strengthening internal management procedures for flight scheduling, enhancing communication regarding changes to flight schedules and destinations, and ensuring stability and reliability in fleet and manpower resources," the bureau said.

In addition, the airline aims to improve its customer service arm's ability to handle unforeseen incidents.

The bureau and the Civil Aviation Department said they will monitor the implementation of these improvement measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Secretary for Transport Mable Chan addressed the media yesterday, saying that while the late delivery of new aircraft was not the primary cause of the incident, it highlighted the need for early planning in regard to aircraft configurations and regular maintenance.

"With the Easter Holiday approaching in April, the government urges airlines to learn from past experiences and make more informed decisions," Chan said.

She also called for effective implementation of the optimization measures outlined in the report.