TANYA NOLAN: On one of the busiest days of the year for air travel, it's emerged that the Civil Aviation Safety Authority has concerns with the budget carrier Tiger Airways.
CASA has issued Tiger with a show cause notice - the first issued by the safety body to a major airline in 10 years.
It's worried the airline may be taking short-cuts that could compromise passenger safety.
The airline's also dealing with a raft of flight delays and cancellations this morning, leaving passengers irate and stranded ahead of the Easter break.
Anna Hipsley reports from Melbourne.
ANNA HIPSLEY: At Melbourne's Tullamarine airport this morning, getting away on time for the Easter break was the top priority for passengers but some were luckier than others.
By mid-morning at least three inbound and two outbound Tiger flights had been cancelled. A raft of others were delayed.
VOX POP: Well, I got here to find that the 8 o'clock flight was now an 8.30 flight and then they came through again and said, oh no, now it is 9.30 boarding for a 10 o'clock flight. How can they get it so wrong?
ANNA HIPSLEY: Angry passengers were left baring their claws.
VOX POP 2: My main problem with it all is that they offered us no compensation. You know, they weren't even apologetic. It's one of the busiest weekends of the year. We were just looking forward to going up and spending some time with family. So I just can't believe it.
ANNA HIPSLEY: Cath Blewett's flight from Melbourne to Brisbane was cancelled this morning. She says she's been forced to spend more than $400 on a ticket with Qantas, because Tiger couldn't book her on another flight until Saturday.
CATH BLEWETT: We've had to run over along with everyone else on the flight. It was just sheer panic. I mean we were lucky that we could pay that but there was families with kids, you know, little kids that were actually very, very upset.
ANNA HIPSLEY: The airline's also in damage control today over a show cause notice issued by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.
In a letter to Tiger management last month, CASA asked the airline to respond to a number of concerns over its operational and safety procedures.
Tiger's spokeswoman Vanessa Regan says there's nothing for passengers to be worried about.
VANESSA REGAN: Basically we'd like to reassure our customers that it is business as usual and there is no imminent risk to safety.
ANNA HIPSLEY: Aviation writer Tom Ballantyne has told ABC Local Radio show cause notices are a common occurrence.
TOM BALLANTYNE: Carriers in the United States often get show cause notices because something has occurred with their maintenance procedures for instance, something's gone wrong. It doesn't necessarily cause an accident but it could be something that could eventually lead to an accident so they are quite a regular occurrence for big and small commercial airlines.
ANNA HIPSLEY: While neither party would go into further detail about the nature of the concerns, Tiger says the issues raised by CASA have been responded to in full.
VANESSA REGAN: Last month Tiger was asked to clarify a number of certain matters which we did so immediately. We answered every question from CASA and the matter had been dealt with at an appropriate matter at the moment. The key is that CASA has not taken any action and Tiger continues to operate as normal.
ANNA HIPSLEY: In a statement to the ABC, CASA says it does not comment on show cause notices but has reassured passengers it has the power to suspend operations immediately if there is an imminent risk to safety.
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority carries out regular safety audits and checks on Australian airlines and other air operators and issues around 25 show cause notices a year.
But there hasn't been one handed to a major airline for more than a decade.
In 2001, CASA threatened to issue one to Ansett Australia unless it could outline its plans to improve management systems and deal with specific maintenance problems.
Ansett complied but the airline folded less than a year later after suffering financial collapse.
Tiger says it doesn't believe its license is at risk but the CASA caution and flight delays and cancellations may cost it dearly anyway.
VOX POP 3: Look, it's so tempting because of the prices but I don't think I will be going with them again and I do genuinely mean that. I think for an extra $50 or $60, it's worth paying that little bit extra to have your safety and a flight that gets off on time.
TANYA NOLAN: That's an angry Tiger passenger ending that report by Anna Hipsley in Melbourne.
CASA has issued Tiger with a show cause notice - the first issued by the safety body to a major airline in 10 years.
It's worried the airline may be taking short-cuts that could compromise passenger safety.
The airline's also dealing with a raft of flight delays and cancellations this morning, leaving passengers irate and stranded ahead of the Easter break.
Anna Hipsley reports from Melbourne.
ANNA HIPSLEY: At Melbourne's Tullamarine airport this morning, getting away on time for the Easter break was the top priority for passengers but some were luckier than others.
By mid-morning at least three inbound and two outbound Tiger flights had been cancelled. A raft of others were delayed.
VOX POP: Well, I got here to find that the 8 o'clock flight was now an 8.30 flight and then they came through again and said, oh no, now it is 9.30 boarding for a 10 o'clock flight. How can they get it so wrong?
ANNA HIPSLEY: Angry passengers were left baring their claws.
VOX POP 2: My main problem with it all is that they offered us no compensation. You know, they weren't even apologetic. It's one of the busiest weekends of the year. We were just looking forward to going up and spending some time with family. So I just can't believe it.
ANNA HIPSLEY: Cath Blewett's flight from Melbourne to Brisbane was cancelled this morning. She says she's been forced to spend more than $400 on a ticket with Qantas, because Tiger couldn't book her on another flight until Saturday.
CATH BLEWETT: We've had to run over along with everyone else on the flight. It was just sheer panic. I mean we were lucky that we could pay that but there was families with kids, you know, little kids that were actually very, very upset.
ANNA HIPSLEY: The airline's also in damage control today over a show cause notice issued by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.
In a letter to Tiger management last month, CASA asked the airline to respond to a number of concerns over its operational and safety procedures.
Tiger's spokeswoman Vanessa Regan says there's nothing for passengers to be worried about.
VANESSA REGAN: Basically we'd like to reassure our customers that it is business as usual and there is no imminent risk to safety.
ANNA HIPSLEY: Aviation writer Tom Ballantyne has told ABC Local Radio show cause notices are a common occurrence.
TOM BALLANTYNE: Carriers in the United States often get show cause notices because something has occurred with their maintenance procedures for instance, something's gone wrong. It doesn't necessarily cause an accident but it could be something that could eventually lead to an accident so they are quite a regular occurrence for big and small commercial airlines.
ANNA HIPSLEY: While neither party would go into further detail about the nature of the concerns, Tiger says the issues raised by CASA have been responded to in full.
VANESSA REGAN: Last month Tiger was asked to clarify a number of certain matters which we did so immediately. We answered every question from CASA and the matter had been dealt with at an appropriate matter at the moment. The key is that CASA has not taken any action and Tiger continues to operate as normal.
ANNA HIPSLEY: In a statement to the ABC, CASA says it does not comment on show cause notices but has reassured passengers it has the power to suspend operations immediately if there is an imminent risk to safety.
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority carries out regular safety audits and checks on Australian airlines and other air operators and issues around 25 show cause notices a year.
But there hasn't been one handed to a major airline for more than a decade.
In 2001, CASA threatened to issue one to Ansett Australia unless it could outline its plans to improve management systems and deal with specific maintenance problems.
Ansett complied but the airline folded less than a year later after suffering financial collapse.
Tiger says it doesn't believe its license is at risk but the CASA caution and flight delays and cancellations may cost it dearly anyway.
VOX POP 3: Look, it's so tempting because of the prices but I don't think I will be going with them again and I do genuinely mean that. I think for an extra $50 or $60, it's worth paying that little bit extra to have your safety and a flight that gets off on time.
TANYA NOLAN: That's an angry Tiger passenger ending that report by Anna Hipsley in Melbourne.
