PETALING JAYA – Malaysia Airlines’ catering transition has not been the easiest to stomach.
From its misunderstood “bring your own food” fiasco to complaints by passengers on social media, the airline is facing a tough time managing public perception after the conclusion of its partnership with Brahim’s Food Services.
A passenger on board a Malaysia Airlines flight from Kuala Lumpur to Guangzhou shared with The Vibes that her flight was delayed due to “catering issues”.
Wishing to remain anonymous, the passenger claimed she was told this by the “MAS gate crew”.
Her flight finally departed at about 11.30am after being delayed since 9am.
Having flown business class for the trip, she was disappointed that she was only served with a box of pre-packed food items such as pastries, fruit and water.
In an announcement on its website last week, Malaysia Airlines had informed that affected routes would see passengers served with pre-packed meals or revised meal offerings as they transition to a new catering service.
As evident in the photos shared by the concerned passenger, this would fall in the category of pre-packed meals, which, according to the Malaysia Airlines frequently asked questions (FAQ), is primarily offered for shorter routes. Kuala Lumpur to Guangzhou takes under five hours.
The passenger, however, expressed her dismay that the alleged reason behind the delay was “catering issues”, yet no hot meals were served on board.
She said the FAQ was insufficient, stressing that MAS should communicate this matter to passengers more effectively.
“It’s okay to have issues, but customers must be informed,” she said.
The passenger who took a morning flight to Guangzhou also highlighted that there was no alcohol on board.
“Thought of cooling down with a glass of wine, but they say all alcohol also don’t have,” she said in an Instagram Story.
Earlier this week, another passenger, Marcus Zeng, took to Facebook to complain about the pre-packed meal he was served during his Kuala Lumpur to Hong Kong, which had also experienced delays due to “catering”.
“I honestly would have preferred the flight to be on time and be given a voucher to get takeaway food from the terminal than to have to wait an hour for some cheap box of crap,” he said.
His post was accompanied by a picture of the pre-packed meal which looked similar to the one shared with The Vibes. However, Zeng’s post is no longer visible on Facebook. – The Vibes, September 8, 2023
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