Tiger's business model, which seems to be built on coughpy ground service, teaser promotions, component pricing and a call-centre-from-hell ultimately dooms their Australian operations. Many people fly with then once, and swear never again.
Recently Tiger cancelled a flight that I booked in November 2008, and I sought a refund. After numerous STD calls (Tiger doesn't have a 1800 or 1300 line) and line drop-outs, my refund was agreed. It will take 6-10 weeks to be credited.
As for credit card surcharges, I can understand merchants seeking to off-set Amex's high rates, but Visa and M/card fees are more reasonable. I have said "no" to Visa and M/card surcharges on numerous occasions with mixed success.
Credit card transactions provide many advantages for merchants such as less cash in the till, transfer of fraud-risk to the cc provider, and easier record-keeping. Merchant fees are a cost of doing business and should be built into the cost of goods sold. The customer already pays an annual cc fee (maybe), and shouldn't have to double-pay.
Now, don't get me started on Canberra's architecture...
Cheers
Bush