Komani: Committed to rescue 1time
2012-11-06 11:51
Video
2012-11-06 09:28
Embattled low-cost airline 1time is pinning its hopes for a cash injection on British investors. WATCH
Johannesburg - 1time CEO Blacky Komani says the airline is not in liquidation as yet and is evaluating its options.
“We’ve committed to rescue this business,” Komani said.
When asked about conflicting reports concerning the future of the airline and that UK investor FastJet had pulled out on the last minute Komani said, “We have not filed for liquidation. We are dealing with a UK based investor but I am bound by a confidentiality agreement and am unable to disclose what the options are at this point.”
Komani said he was confident the airline would be able to make public its direction for the future within the next few days.
Solidarity has said it received an urgent application
for liquidation from 1time lawyers and the matter is due in court on
Wednesday.
While financing remains the biggest hurdle for the airline Komani said the aviation industry as a whole was a tough place to be in with airlines from America taking just as much strain.
Since the airline halted services on Friday, The National Consumer Commission (NCC) is considering probing if 1time for selling tickets just hours before ending its services.
Fin24 reported that NCC acting head Ebrahim Mohammed said it was looking into whether 1time misled passengers. Scores of passengers were left stranded when the low-cost airline announced on Friday that it had applied for liquidation and stopped all operations.
In addition to this 1time lodged a R1.6 million consumer guarantee with the Airline Services Licensing Council (ASLC) in Pretoria before being granted its license back in 2007. While it might not be immediately available the Council is consulting with the airline on how creditors will be reimbursed.
1time customers who booked their tickets with a credit card could still apply for refunds by seeking recourse on a "service not delivered" basis. Customers would need to contact their respective banks and apply for a "charge back”.
ABSA, Nedbank, First National Bank and Standard Bank had announced it would reimburse passengers who paid with their cards.
“In order to make customers’ lives easier, we can confirm that all 1time purchases made with ABSA-issued cards will be refunded,” ABSA’s Arrie Rautenbach said.
Standard Bank spokesperson Ross Linstrom said customers who had used debit, credit, or cheque cards to buy tickets should lodge a dispute with the bank and ask for the transaction to be reversed.
FNB announced through its Twitter page it was willing to reverse transactions, but only if customers completed a dispute form and had a valid receipt from 1time.
Nedbank cardholders could apply for a chargeback, within 60 days, if they had purchased a 1time ticket on their credit cards, or on their American Express cards, spokesperson Soneni Phiri said in a statement.
Contact details for the various banks:
ABSA: 0861 462 273 or email disputes@absa.co.za
First National Bank: 087 575 1111
Nedbank: 0860 555 111
Standard Bank: disputes@standardbank.co.za
