KUALA LUMPUR – A medical surgeon was left baffled and infuriated after his scheduled flight from Kuching, Sarawak to Johor Baru with low-cost carrier AirAsia later this month was pushed back.
To make matters worse, the timing of his new, rescheduled flight will now come after what is supposed to be his return flight back to the Borneo state.
In a Facebook post, Dr Aimir Ma’rof, who works in a public hospital in Sarawak, noted he has to attend to certain matters in Johor on June 25 but needed to return on the same day due to difficulties obtaining leave.
Jom kita lihat betapa bangangnya AirAsia! Saya ada urusan di Johor Bahru pada pagi Sabtu, tapi saya perlu pergi dan...
Posted by Aimir Ma'rof on Wednesday, June 8, 2022
He went on to purchase a return ticket to Johor Baru, with his outbound flight scheduled for 7.55am and the subsequent return flight set to depart at 8pm, which he said suited his schedule.
However, two days following his booking, Dr Aimir received an email and SMS from the budget airline notifying him his outbound flight had been rescheduled to 9.50pm the same day.
Amusingly, the schedule for his flight back has remained the same.
“So, what’s the point of me going to Johor Baru? What’s funnier is my return flight to Kuching is unchanged. Isn’t this stupid!” he said on Thursday, adding that AirAsia is the only airline offering a trip to his planned destination.
He also shared the amended itinerary which shows that he will now depart from Johor, instead of Sarawak, ostensibly as the timing for the former’s flight is now earlier.
The notice by AirAsia sent to Dr Aimir claims that the originally scheduled flight has been cancelled due to operational reasons.
Dr Aimir was however unimpressed by the excuse given and lambasted the airline for rescheduling passengers’ flights at its own whims and fancy.
“Just be frank and admit that you want to maximise profit and fit every passenger into one flight. This is not a promotional, discounted fare. I have spent hundreds of ringgit!
“This is clearly false advertising and seriously misleading! If you cannot deliver the flight as advertised, then why sell it in the first place? You are messing with other people’s lives and hard-earned money.
“This is not the first time I have fallen victim to AirAsia and I’m confident many more have gone through the same. To the government and ministry, please do something with the airlines, especially AirAsia."
His post has since garnered over 1,600 reactions, 1,300 shares 500 comments, the majority of whom took AirAsia to task.
AirAsia has been fraught with controversy since the country reopened its international borders in April, with scores of Malaysians constantly taking to Twitter to express their frustration over delayed and rescheduled flights.
On May 9, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said his ministry had initiated an investigation into public complaints.
He had said the initial probe found that the issues had occurred since late April and have persisted since, with Tuaran MP Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau among those to have fallen victim.
The following day, both AirAsia and national carrier Malaysia Airlines issued an apology to its customers over the plaguing issues and promised to perform better. – The Vibes, June 11, 2022
