Issued: 06 April 2012 AIR MAURITIUS (MK) - AUSTRALIA OPERATIONAL CHANGES QUESTIONS & ANSWERS SHEET This questions and answers sheet has been created by Air Mauritius with the support of our partner airline Virgin Australia to assist with answers to many frequently asked questions following the recent announcement of changes to the Australian operations. Bookings: 1. Q. What are the details of the recent (Air Mauritius) operational changes in Australia? A. Sydney and Melbourne flights will be suspended the last flight will operate 29 / 30 May 2012 Perth will gain an additional frequency starting 5 / 6 June 2012 with the new and The existing Perth flight MK 940 / 941 will align with the new timings effective 2 / 3 June 2012 New schedule listed: Departures Destinations Flight Days Departs Arrives Duration Aircraft Mauritius Perth MK940 Tues/Sat 22:10 09.45+1 7h35mins A330-200 Perth Mauritius MK941 Wed/Sun 13:10 17:45 8h35mins A330-200 2. Q. What will happen to affected bookings? A.Almost all affected bookings have been rebooked and the tickets reissued. Agents are encouraged to check their bookings to ensure an email address is listed so that new tickets can be sent to you. If an email address isn t listed in the booking then please contact your nearest Air Mauritius office to update. Ticketed passengers Melbourne and Sydney passengers will be re-booked automatically on the new same day MK Perth flight to Mauritius with the best available domestic connection at no extra cost to passengers. (Passengers opting to cancel their travel will be fully refunded without penalty)
Booking but not ticketed passengers Passengers will be re-booked on alternate Air Mauritius flights The applicable fare for the re-booked PNR will depend on the prevailing fare structure plus applicable taxes and fuel surcharges at the time of ticket issuance 3. Q. Can passengers have a voluntary stay in Perth when travelling on a through Air Mauritius/Virgin Australia ticket ex Mauritius to Melbourne / Sydney? A. Yes passengers can have a voluntary stay in Perth within the maximum stay conditions listed on their Air Mauritius/Virgin Australia through ticket. 4.Q. Is Air Mauritius able to make special meal, seating and other SSR requests when booking Virgin Australia connecting flights? A. Air Mauritius is not able to insert special request codes into Virgin Australia bookings. 5 Q. Does Virgin Australia accept unaccompanied minors or passengers requiring medical assistance? A. Unfortunately unaccompanied minors are unable to be accommodated on Virgin Australia flights with interline connections. Passengers requiring medical assistance should contact Virgin Australia directly to confirm. 6. Q. If a Virgin Australia flight is disrupted will Air Mauritius assist with scheduling, rerouting or refunding the passenger to their final destination on an Air Mauritius/Virgin Australia through fare? A. Air Mauritius is able to assist passengers relating to Air Mauritius disrupted flights only; please refer to our terms and conditions of carriage listed on our website www.airmauritius.com/conditionsofcarriage Virgin Australia will only be able to get a passenger to their final destination relating to the Virgin Australia sector of the Air Mauritius/Virgin Australia through ticket. Virgin Australia will not cover any missed international flights. Please refer to Virgin Australia s terms and conditions of carriage listed on their website. www.virginaustralia.com
7. Q. How do agents handle new mixed class Air Mauritius/Virgin Australia through fare bookings when the auto pricing doesn t apply? A. Agent s will need to manually fare build and issue the ticket. 8. Q. How do I book an infant on a joint Air Mauritius/Virgin Australia fare? A. Virgin Australia accepts infant details to be attached to an adult booking by means of inserting the SSR INFT code into the Virgin Australia booking. 9. Q. If passengers travel on an Air Mauritius/Virgin Australia through fare will they receive Kestrelflyer points (Air Mauritius s Frequent Flyer Program)? A.Kestrelflyer members will receive points for their Air Mauritius sectors only. Airport: 1. Q. Where do Air Mauritius domestic transit passengers check-in when travelling with Virgin Australia? A. Passengers will need to check in at the Virgin Australia domestic check-in counters. 2. Q. If a passenger has a connecting flight with Virgin Australia on an Air Mauritius / Virgin Australia through fare will the Air Mauritius checked baggage allowance still apply on the Virgin Australia sector? A. Virgin Australia will honour the Air Mauritius standard 30kg allowance for economy class and 40kg for business class passengers. Additional allowances for infants, students, sporting equipment and Kestrelflyer members will not apply. Please refer to our website for our checked baggage allowances. www.airmauritius.com/checkedbaggage. With regards to students travelling at student fare, Air Mauritius has filed 40kgs baggage allowance for both Air Mauritius international sector and Virgin Australia domestic sector. However Virgin Australia does not allow more than 30 Kgs in economy class, therefore students will have to pay 10kgs excess for the domestic Virgin Australia sector. 3. Q. Will passengers be able to through check their baggage from Mauritius to Melbourne / Sydney? A. Baggage must be through checked from Mauritius to Perth only as passengers are required to clear customs and immigration in Perth before then taking their baggage to the domestic Virgin Australia check-in counter.
4. Q. Will passengers be able to through check their baggage to Mauritius from Melbourne / Sydney? A. Baggage can be through checked from Melbourne or Sydney to Mauritius providing the passenger holds an Air Mauritius/Virgin Australia through ticket. Virgin Australia will issue a silver transfer wallet which will be handed to the passenger. The transfer wallet will need to be handed Air Mauritius check-in representative so that the passengers through checked baggage can be recorded and any excess baggage charged accordingly if applicable. 5. Q. What excess baggage rates will passengers be charged when travelling from Sydney, Melbourne or Perth to Mauritius / vice versa? A. Passengers will be charged separately by Virgin Australia and Air Mauritius for the respective sectors. Please refer to the Virgin Australia and Air Mauritius websites for up to date excess baggage rates. www.airmauritius.com/checkedbaggage www.virginaustralia.com/au/en/plan/baggage/oversized-fragile-items 6. Q. How do passengers get from the domestic terminal to the international terminal at the Perth airport? A.Passengers will need to catch the FREE bus transfer to move from one terminal to the other. The bus company name is Connect and the coaches are orange in colour. The bus transfer takes approximately 15minutes and the services operate frequently. Taxis are also available at a cost to the passenger. For more information please visit the Perth airport website. www.perthairport.com.au 7. Q. Is porterage available when using the transfer bus? A. Porterage services are not available. 8. Q. Will business class passengers and relevant Kestrelflyer members have access to the Virgin Australia business lounges in MEL or SYD? A.Yes, lounge access will be available to passengers travelling business class on the Virgin Australia sector only.
9. Q. How will passengers obtain their Virgin Australia and Air Mauritius boarding passes? A. Passengers will need to check-in for Virgin Australia flights domestically and then for Air Mauritius flights internationally. No passenger through check-in is available in either direction. 10. Q. Will a LAGS (liquids, aerosols and gels) limit of 100ml still apply for passenger s carryon luggage when checking-in for their Air Mauritius sector? A. Yes On Board: 1. Q. Will passengers receive a meal or inflight entertainment on board Virgin Australia? A. No meals or inflight entertainment will be provided on Virgin Australia in economy class unless the passenger pays on board. Passengers will receive a meal and inflight entertainment when travelling with Virgin Australia in business class. We thank you for your ongoing support.