I went to great pains to book a connecting flight for my friend from Bangkok to Phuket that would arrive in time to get the new Smart Bus and avoid the notorious Taxi Mafia there.
Friend goes to the gate on time, waits patiently and then finds out later that Air Asia moved the gate all the way to the other end of the terminal. No one came to get them. They didn't hear any announcement and apparently the only clue was some tiny cardboard sign that was extremely easy to miss, as was the flight.
They go to the desk and are told that they can pay for the next flight at their own expense and, after objecting, are offered some p1ssy 10% discount.
This means they were made to wait hours longer, missed out on the last bus in Phuket and got gouged on the taxi there plus the extra fare. All because Air Asia switched gates at the last minute (again, to the furthest possible alternative) and did a p1ss poor job of notifying them. They make you give them a phone number during the booking process and yet there was no call and no text notifying them of the change.
This sucks.
Has anyone had any luck wringing fiscal justice out of scummy LCCs like Air Asia who seem to pull this BS all the time?
Caught in a string of their own lies.