Press communique 27 May 2025 - Rodrigues: Firm reservations to improve service

NEWS RELEASE

27 May 2025

Rodrigues: Firm Bookings to Improve Service

Following confusion on social media regarding Open tickets and the Rs 800 penalty for changes to flight bookings on the Rodrigues–Mauritius–Rodrigues route, Air Mauritius wishes to clarify the following:

1. Open Tickets and Seat Availability:
   An Open ticket may give the impression that the passenger has the right to travel on the date of their choosing, but in reality, it is subject to seat availability. This type of ticket, which does not specify a fixed departure or return date, does not, in any way, guarantee a priority for boarding.
2. Inconvenience for Passengers with Open Tickets:
   Passengers arriving at the airport with an Open ticket may face several inconveniences. They must wait for a seat to become available, or be freed at the last minute, as passengers with confirmed bookings cannot be offloaded. If no seats are available, they will have to wait for another flight. If they still cannot board any flight on that day, they must return home and try again the next day, or at a later date, for a tentative departure. Moreover, even if a seat becomes available at the last minute, passengers with Open tickets will be the first to be offloaded in the event of weight restrictions caused by adverse weather conditions.
3. Operational Challenges for Air Mauritius:
   Open tickets also present challenges for Air Mauritius, who cannot efficiently optimise its flight operations. In contrast, firm bookings enable the airline to accurately gauge passenger numbers and schedule the number of daily rotations between Rodrigues and Mauritius accordingly, to better meet the demand.
4. Change Penalty:
   The penalty for changes to reservation dates is not new on this route. Since 2015, it was Rs 500 and has recently increased to Rs 800 after ten years. However, conditions have been improved for passengers: if requested with at least 48 hours’ notice, passengers may amend their flight dates free of charge.
5. Medical Cases:
   Claims that the penalty applies to passengers traveling to Mauritius for medical treatment are incorrect. These passengers fall under Air Mauritius’s compassionate policy and are exempt from the penalty, provided they submit appropriate supporting documents. Additionally, they receive priority and assistance during boarding.
6. Excess Capacity and Financial Impact:
   For the 2023/24 financial year, there were over 5,000 excess seats on the Rodrigues-Mauritius–Rodrigues route. By January 2025, this figure had already been exceeded for the 2024/25 fiscal year. Air Mauritius recorded a loss of Rs 143 million in 2023/24, which is expected to rise to Rs 253 million in 2024/25. To give an idea of the scale, 5,000 excess seats is roughly equivalent to 80 empty flights per year.
7. Funeral Travel and Compassionate Measures:
   The management of Air Mauritius is sensitive to cases involving travel for a close relative’s funeral. Subject to seat availability, immediate family members of the deceased (father, mother, spouse, child, brother, or sister) will be allowed to fly without a prior reservation. If the flight is full, Air Mauritius will request passengers to voluntarily renounce their seats on that flight. However, these compassionate gestures rely on the goodwill of passengers with firm bookings.