Advance Seat Booking, Ticket Blocking at Zero: MD & CEO of Biman Bangladesh Airlines
The Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, Md. Safiqur Rahman, has stated that advance seat booking and ticket blocking are at zero level at Biman Bangladesh Airlines.
He mentioned that any individuals found involved in ticketing fraud are removed from their respective departments as soon as information is received.
He made these comments during a courtesy meeting with the Executive Committee of the Aviation and Tourism Journalist Forum of Bangladesh (ATJFB) at Biman’s Balaka office on Wednesday.
Regarding recent reports of ticket blocking and artificial ticket hoarding for destinations like Saudi Arabia and various Middle Eastern countries, the MD said that there is currently no advance seat booking or ticket blocking at Biman. He personally monitors this issue. There were complaints in the past, and those responsible were removed from ticketing duties and reassigned to other departments.
Regarding baggage management at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, he said that efforts are being made to improve baggage handling. Whenever complaints arise about baggage, immediate action is taken. However, there are some infrastructural limitations. He hopes that with the opening of the third terminal at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, baggage management will improve further.
He added that to ensure transparency in baggage management, airline staff are equipped with body-worn cameras. They wear the cameras when entering their duty for baggage handling and return them when their shift is over. Additionally, 150 new cameras have been purchased to enhance surveillance.
On preparations for Biman's Hajj flights, he mentioned that the current fleet of aircraft is sufficient to operate scheduled flights without disruption. However, during the Hajj season, there will be higher demand for aircraft. In such cases, the number of flights on one or two routes will be reduced, and those aircraft will be used for Hajj flights. He expressed hope that, as always, pilgrims will be able to perform the Hajj smoothly with Biman Bangladesh Airlines.
The MD & CEO also stated that efforts are underway to reduce flight delays to zero, make crew and staff behavior more customer-friendly, and make Biman more passenger-friendly overall.
During the courtesy meeting, ATJFB President Tanzim Anwar delivered a welcome speech and suggested necessary measures to make Biman even more passenger-friendly.
The event was attended by ATJFB Executive Committee members including General Secretary Baten Bipul, Joint Secretary Md. Shafiullah Suman, Finance Secretary Mahfuz Kamal Babu, Organizing Secretary Zulhas Kabir and Adnan Rahman, Public Relations and Publications Secretary Altaf Hossain, Office Secretary Niyamul Aziz Sadeq, Executive Committee members Mukhtadir Rashid Romeo, Masud Rumi, Rashidul Hasan, Khalid Ahsan, Golam Mortuza Antu, Senior Member Azad Solaiman, and Biman's General Manager of Public Relations Bosra Islam.