THE excuses given by AirAsia over the frequent flight disruptions and last-minute reschedulings are unacceptable, with the Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM) urged to hold the budget carrier responsible.
Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii Lee Wuen also urged MAVCOM to penalise AirAsia over the issue, citing the inconvenience to its paying passengers.
“AirAsia released a statement apologising for the problem and giving the excuse that they have insufficient aircrafts and may need necessary repairs and maintenance after not being used for a long time especially during the movement control order (MCO) period,” Dr Yii said in a statement.
“The delay was also due to the long waiting queue for aircraft maintenance facilities for Malaysia and the region, and that the aircrafts that are being used must be repaired before they can fly again.
“While safety and security of the planes and passengers are of utmost importance, the company should have anticipated this and if they are aware that they have insufficient planes, they should not have opened up for all those tickets to be sold to the public.
“If they know they cannot meet demands, so they should not have allowed the tickets to be sold which ended up causing so much inconvenience, delay and even economic loss to the public.”
Dr Yii also said that for consumers, the chaos caused by AirAsia can be interpreted as a form of “misrepresentation” if customers get rescheduled to a different time after purchasing their flight tickets for a specific time.
“I received a complaint from a customer who booked his flight ticket online and within a few hours had received an SMS informing him that his flight has been rescheduled,” he recalled.
“Mind you, the flight was in two weeks’ time and they already know it will be delayed. If they can foresee the problem, why even sell those tickets in the first place?
“Customers not only suffer losses of due to the rescheduled flights but many have other connecting flights with other airlines which had to be changed due to changes in the AirAsia flight schedule.”
Dr Yii said that for this reason, MAVCOM must hold the airline accountable. Necessary actions must be taken and MAVCOM must be more proactive in taking action and not allowing this to happen again.
“I reiterate my call yesterday for quick action to be taken on this matter and for a long-term policy to be put in place to ensure that this does not happen and airlines are kept accountable for their set schedule,” he pointed out.
“While the Government has said that there will be an investigation, such investigations should not be used as an excuse for a delay in taking the necessary actions.”
On Monday (May 9), the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry (KPDNHEP) said that it will conduct an investigation into AirAsia’s delays and rescheduling.
According to Bernama, Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said that the issue of flight delays to various destinations in the country had been detected since the end of last month and was still ongoing.
“KPDNHEP will continue to conduct investigations from the aspect of consumers’ interest and work with the Transport Ministry to resolve this issue and ensure it does not continue,” he tweeted.
He also reminded consumers of their right to claim compensation to continue their journey, adding that this was subject to several factors and reasons for flight delays or cancellations, based on information from the MAVCOM website.
The compensation may include meals, phone calls and internet access (for delays of two hours or more); hotel accommodation and transportation (for delays of five hours or more); and a full refund or alternative flight if the original flight is cancelled. – May 11, 2022
