KOTA KINABALU – Passengers flying to and from Sabah have been riled up lately due to rescheduled flights, their booked seats being taken by others and enduring hours inside heated cabins due to the air-conditioning being switched off.
Such is the scenario after airlines were ordered to slash their fares for the Hari Raya Aidilfitri season.
Tuaran MP Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau said he himself had suffered such inconveniences when flying with local airlines.
On a Kota Kinabalu-bound flight from Kuala Lumpur, the Sabahan politician who had checked-in for an 8pm flight had it postponed twice by AirAsia – first to 10pm and later to 12.30am, with his arrival in the state capital scheduled at 3.30am.
Tangau shared his frustration on his Twitter account and his tweet went viral, with over 1,800 likes.
I was confirmed and in fact have already checkin for the 8pm flight KUK/BKI on @AirAsia tonight only to be rescheduled to 10pm and the latest is it was rescheduled to 12.30am ETA 3.30am. It’s simply crazy.
— Wilfred Madius Tangau (@madiustangau) May 8, 2022
“It goes to show that so many people have gone through the same experiences and are victims of the AirAsia retiming operation.
“Indeed AirAsia Super App does it all without regard to the inconvenience and cost incurred by customers,” he said in a Facebook post today.
The former science, technology and innovation minister said he had also sought an explanation from the airline’s ground crew, but did not receive one.
Tangau was in Kuala Lumpur to attend his son’s graduation, and he pointed out the visit was a family trip.
“I was shocked and surprised by the netizen’s response to the tweet to say the least…And so, in our endeavour to champion the people’s struggle, I am getting prepared to take this (issue) up under Standing Order 17 of the Malaysian Parliament in the July sitting.
“The basic question to ask is should the government regulate the airline’s flight schedule under the Civil Aviation Act,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kukusan assemblyman Rina Zainal said she had received numerous complaints from friends who had boarded a flight to Tawau recently.
“I had received many complaints on the issue of passengers being double-booked by a renowned local airline, which was heading to Tawau.
“Sadly, when they checked-in online, their seats had been taken by others and therefore, they were not able to take their flights,” said Rina, adding that she had also received many complaints on flights being rescheduled and delayed.
Passengers on a Malaysia Airlines flight MH2710 from Kuala Lumpur to Sandakan on Sunday had to endure hours of heat after the cabin’s air-conditioner could not operate due to a technical issue.
Due to technical problems, all aboard the aircraft were made to return to the waiting hall.
MAS said they were not able to turn on the air conditioning throughout the repair process.
The Transport Ministry had today ordered airlines to better monitor technical issues related to flight services and improve their communications with passengers, as complaints rise regarding rescheduled and backlogged flights in airports nationwide.
Minister Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong said that the ministry and its aviation-related agencies such as the Malaysian Civil Aviation Authority and the Malaysian Aviation Commission had received and probed into reports by passengers giving feedback on their experiences.
Prior to this, airlines had raised their ticket prices exorbitantly ahead of the Hari Raya festivities, prompting complaints from many East Malaysians who could not travel home for celebrations.
Airlines had thereafter been instructed to lower their fares by the government. – The Vibes, May 10, 2022
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