Lionair Indonesia Review: Why I not fly Lionair again

Lionair has come under the spotlight for its poor security track record with a few unfortunate accidents in the last few years

My Lion Air Experience at a Glance

As I love discovering the Indonesian islands, I have flown with Lionair a few times in the last 12 months. Between flights cancelations and flights delays, it has often been a painful experience. But my latest experience with Lionair has been so bad at all level that I feel it is important to share it so that more people don’t waste their time and money. I am also hoping the management at Lionair will read it and hopefully fix their operations and internal process to improve travelers experience.

This is the story of me booking a flight from Bali to Ambon and being very sorry I did.

I am sorry… Lionair has canceled your flight…

Two weeks after booking a flight from Bali to Ambon, I received an email from Lionair telling me they canceled my flight and rebooked me on another itinerary.

I am sorry, we have rebooked you on a flight connection that is impossible to make

As I look at my “rebooked flight,” my first fight is landing AFTER the departure time of the second flight, so it basically was not rebooked properly.

I email Lionair customer service and don’t get a response. I then call the call center. They rebook my ticket one more time to an itinerary that is possible but involves me making one more stopover in Surabaya and a much longer flight time than what I had originally booked… I am already not very happy….

TIP: Lionair never told me that I could have refunded my ticket at that stage. If your flights get canceled, you are eligible for a refund so don’t be afraid to ask (But the refund process might be painful. See below)

I am sorry, Lionair’s website application prepay for luggage doesn’t work

Lionair started charging for all luggage a few months ago. It is not possible to prepay your luggage at the time of booking, and it needs to be done after you have booked your ticket. If you don’t prepay for your luggage, you have to pay at the airport where the rate is much higher. You are also limited to a maximum of 30 kg

So I go on Lionair’s website and try to prepay for my luggage. The website doesn’t work and gives me an error message. I tried 4 or 5 times over three days. It Still doesn’t work.

I then email customer service who tells me that I can prepay my luggage by phone by calling their call center.

TIP: if you are traveling with diving equipment or with many luggage, do NOT book Lionair. The cost for 30 kg of luggage from Denpasar to Ambon was 1.5 million rpies one way. And that is assuming you can prepay for your luggage

I am sorry, Lionair doesn’t allow prepaying of luggage by phone, and you have to go to the airport…

The call center tells me it is actually impossible to prepay luggage by phone and that my only option is to go to the airport.

So I am left with two choices. Either I go to the airport to make the prepayment which will take me 3 hours by car or I pay for the luggage while checking in which will cost me about 50% more and is limited to 30 Kg. As I am traveling with my diving equipment and will likely have over 30 kg, this is not even an option.

By that time, I decide to cancel my flexible ticket which the customer service agent tells me is possible. He guarantees me that I will get 75% of the ticket price refunded.

I am sorry, it is very complicated to get a refund on Lionair tickets

To process the refund and get 75% of my money back ( after my original flight was canceled…) I am told I need to

• Send a copy of my passport and ask for the cancelation
• Go in person to the Lionair office at the airport to reconfirm the cancelation
• Wait up to 3 months for the money to be refunded to my account

I still decide to proceed with the cancelation. The customer agent sends me a written confirmation, and I send him my passport copy to proceed.

At this stage, I consider my flight canceled and go ahead and buy a Garuda airline ticket for the same itinerary

I am sorry. The Lionair customer service agent made a mistake and gave false information. Lionair’s flexible ticket is actually not refundable or changeable…

Four hours after telling me I could cancel the ticket and get 75% refund, the customer service agent sends me an email telling me he made a mistake and that my ticket was actually not refundable.

Why?

Because it has already been changed in the past and you are only allowed one change or one refund per ticket.

But I didn’t ask to change the ticket! My flight got canceled by Lionair, and they had to change the rebooking as they had made a mistake in rebooking my flight.

I tried to explain how this makes no sense, especially after my flight got canceled and the agent confirmed me by email I could get a refund. My emails have been ignored and Lionair seems to consider this a normal way of dealing with customers

So I think this incredible story of errors and malfunction is now finished. And unfortunately, I have lost. In this case, it was the 2.2 m rupees I paid for a ticket that I will never get to use and all the time and frustrations from communicating with Lionair.

I have had 2 other Lionair flights canceled or delayed in the last 12 months and I have lost much more in lost hotel nights or pre-booked diving because I made it to my destination one day later.

In conclusion of my Lionair review:

I love traveling in Indonesia. Lionair is a very sorry airline. If there are any other options available, I will not choose to fly with Lionair again. They might appear to be the cheapest option, but with all their flights’ delays, poor customer service, and flight cancelation, they have often ended up to costing me a lot of money and stress.

If you are a Lionair executive reading this, please look into your systems and processes. You have very friendly staffs on the ground but they can’t do anything if the processes are deficient and no one is empowered to be reasonable and go beyond the processes

If you are a member of the Indonesian government reading this, please put in place some regulations to protect passengers. Have a look at the European regulation for flight cancelations. I think it would prevent many flights cancelations and complications for passengers

Happy traveling!

Lion Air: Frequently Asked Questions

Is Lion Air safe to fly?

Lion Air has a poor safety track record, with several accidents in recent years. That reputation, combined with my own repeated problems with cancellations and customer service, is why I personally choose to avoid the airline.

Why would you not fly Lion Air again?

In my experience Lion Air cancelled my Bali to Ambon flight, rebooked me onto a connection that was physically impossible to make, and then onto a much longer routing via Surabaya. On top of that, prepaying for luggage online never worked and getting a refund was slow and painful.

How much does Lion Air charge for luggage?

Lion Air now charges for checked luggage, with a maximum of 30 kg. When I flew, 30 kg from Denpasar to Ambon cost around 1.5 million IDR one way, and paying at the airport is significantly more expensive than prepaying.

Can you get a refund from Lion Air if your flight is cancelled?

Yes, you are entitled to a refund if Lion Air cancels your flight, but they did not tell me this proactively, so ask for it. Be aware the refund process can be complicated and slow, and I was given incorrect information about how much of a “flexible” ticket was refundable.

Is Lion Air a good choice for divers or travellers with heavy luggage?

No. Because of the 30 kg cap, the high excess-baggage costs and the unreliable online prepay system, I would strongly advise against Lion Air if you are travelling with diving equipment or a lot of luggage.