The notice Mango Airlines issued early on Wednesday was cold comfort for those who’d arrived at airports to find the orange counters closed, particularly as it made no mention of the one word ticket holders want to hear: refund.
“Dear Guests: Mango Airlines would like to apologise for this morning’s flight interruptions and delays. We are currently working on a solution and will be back at the counters and hope to clear the delays as soon as possible. We apologise in advance for the inconvenience caused,” the notice read.
It did not explain the reasons for the disruptions.
Miche Joseph-Busby was among those who arrived at Cape Town International Airport early on Wednesday morning, expecting to board a Mango plane.
“Thank you for leaving us stranded,” she posted on Facebook. “No staff in sight, no communication. Other airlines had to tell us our flight has been cancelled ... ”
Mango’s acting CEO William Ndlovu told staff in a memo last week that operations would temporarily stop from May 1, “until such time we receive funding (to pay creditors, including aircraft lessors) or complete the business rescue process, should it be supported by the department of public enterprises (DPE)”.
The DPE had promised Mango a cash bailout by October last year, then by the end of this month, and then pushed that out until June.
But the aircraft lessors had given Mango an ultimatum that should they not receive their money by the end of this month, “then all their aircraft must be grounded until such time that Mango receives the funds and can pay”, Ndlovu said in that memo.
“This means that Mango will not be able to operate from May 1 2021 due to no aircraft being available for operations.”
That information was not shared with those holding pre-paid tickets for Mango flights up to and beyond May 1, and Wednesday’s sudden, early suspension of flights is still being referred to by the airline publicly as “delays” and “interruptions”.
Those who paid for any now-cancelled Mango tickets with their credit cards have the option of applying for chargeback via the banks which issued their cards.
The consumer protection works if it can be proved you didn’t get the service you paid for, provided the supplier’s bank account is still functional.
— Consumer tip from Wendy:
Sunday Times Daily asked the airline’s head of communications, Benediction Zubane, to comment on the issue of refunds, but has not received a response.
If the airline does follow its subsidiary, SAA, into business rescue, it is unlikely to issue refunds.
Johannesburg resident Samantha Hogg paid almost R6,000 for two return tickets with Mango, departing for Cape Town on Thursday and returning on May 2.
She learnt on Tuesday that Mango had cancelled her return flights, but not from the airline. She chanced upon the acting CEO’s leaked memo online.
When she was eventually able to make contact with someone in the airline’s “guest relations” department, she was told they had no information about refunds or vouchers.
Mango’s website carries no disclosure about the developments either — the most recent item under its “News” section is a story dated March 23, about Covid-19 testing for travellers to Zanzibar.
The website’s booking function is still operating, but all flights are, ironically, “sold out”.
Zubane said Mango would reach out to Hogg on Wednesday about her cancelled bookings, but did not respond to any questions regarding the broader issues.
In a statement, Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) confirmed it had suspended Mango from using its airports, effective from April 28, because of unpaid fees.
“Representatives of Acsa have held meetings with executives of Mango about payment of its outstanding passenger service charges, landing and parking fees. The most recent meeting between Acsa and Mango was on April 20, and the airline sent a written proposal the same day. Acsa has informed the airline in writing that, while it appreciates the continued efforts to settle the outstanding debt, the company cannot extend further credit to Mango,” Acsa said in a statement on Wednesday.
It said the decision was not an easy one to make.
“Acsa regrets the inconvenience to passengers of Mango Airline. The decision to suspend an airline is never an easy one and is only taken after considerable engagement and discussion with the airline’s management. The approach of Acsa to our business relationship with Mango is consistent with our approach to airlines generally. However, Acsa maintains client confidentiality and will not disclose the specific amounts owed by Mango,” the statement read.
CONTACT WENDY: E-mail: consumer@knowler.co.za; Twitter: @wendyknowler; Facebook: wendyknowlerconsumer
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