PENANG FC crashed out of the Malaysia Cup after losing their second-leg match to Kuching City 0 - 2 in Sarawak last night but it is not the loss which is stinging the club's general manager.
His football team endured a 21-hour delay in reaching Sarawak from Penang, which may have affected their performance.
Jeffrey Chew Gim Eam is angry and upset with Batik Air Malaysia for causing the delay which may have affected the team's preparations as the players were mentally exhausted from simply arriving late at Sarawak with almost an entire day stuck with the delay.
"We wanted them to fly in earlier to prepare well for the match as the Malaysia Cup is a prestigious knockout tournament - some 100 - years old but the airline we relied on let us down by subjecting us to this delay."
"In 21 - hours, one could have flown to London and watched the Liverpool match and here, we are stuck between the Penang - Kuala Lumpur and Kuching route."
Chew said that he has written a formal complaint to the carrier, and they have acknowledged receiving it, but there is nothing forthcoming from them about improving their services so such things do not recur.
Malaysia Airlines is the official airline for the Malaysia Cup, but unfortunately, the national carrier does not have direct flights to Kuching, Sarawak.
"We tried the other budget carrier - Air Asia but the fares were deemed too steep."
So, Penang FA settled for Batik Air, but the drama had just unfolded, said Chew.
On the day of the flight - two days ago, the airline missed the direct flight schedule thrice for technical reasons and the team only arrived at Kuching with a 21-hour delay to foot.
"We were given the runaround, and I am disappointed with the attitude of the airline."
They could have arranged for the team to take a shuttle express bus to Kuala Lumpur to catch the several flights available to Kuching, but the airliner kept the team in the dark and waited for them to arrive 21 - hours later than the original time.
"It threw the team off rhythm and despite being able to train a day before the match, the team's performance was listless. I was not expecting any miracles but at least the airline could have helped us by ensuring we arrived on time to train."
He hopes that all airlines would understand that they are ferrying passengers, who have important engagements to fulfil.
"Do not take any passenger for granted. They booked your airline because they need to be somewhere fast for a business or sporting engagement. Not all passengers are tourists, who may be able to endure the delays," said Chew. - December 1, 2024
