Disgruntled passengers call for clear contingency measures after series of disruptions
PETALING JAYA: Several recent Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flights affected by technical issues have angered passengers and raised calls for clear contingency and emergency plans to be put in place.
Yesterday, a MAS flight heading to Medina had to return to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), marking the third such incident for the national carrier this week. According to FlightRadar data, MH152, which departed KLIA at 2.23pm, turned back while flying over the Nicobar Islands in the Andaman Sea.
On Tuesday night, MAS flight MH386 was forced to turn back to KLIA due to a cabin pressure issue.
On Aug 20, flight MH128 en route to Kuala Lumpur from Melbourne had to make an emergency stop at Alice Springs in Australia’s Northern Territories.
These made Dr Edward Harcourt recall the incident on flight MH001 that departed London’s Heathrow Airport on Aug 4 carrying 280 passengers and 16 crew members, which had to be diverted to Doha due to a technical issue encountered while cruising.
Three hours into the flight, he said the captain announced that the weather navigation system was malfunctioning and that the aircraft would be making an unscheduled stop.
“We were abandoned by the flight crew in the middle of the night and local (Qatari) staff members had no idea what to do with us,” the British passenger said when contacted.
Dr Harcourt said the impact of not having a replacement aircraft affected so many people.
Instead of flying in spare parts to fix the plane, he said MAS should have just sent a replacement aircraft, adding that it was inconceivable that an international airline would have such disregard for its passengers.
“Prioritise the assistance you can provide for the elderly, disabled, people requiring medication, and families with children.
“Providing a hotel room and food is not enough. It’s your responsibility to get us home as soon as possible. Keeping us in limbo for 60 hours is about 50 hours too long,” he said.
Helena Wright, another affected British passenger on that flight, complained of a lack of communication from MAS staff on what was going on, adding that there was no one helping them on the ground.
“The MH001 crew seemed to have disappeared as soon as the flight was diverted to Doha. They only sent updates on email, but there was no way to reply as the phone line and email function did not work.
“It was unlike any other flight that I have ever taken. I have taken a budget flight that got diverted before, but at least there were staff members helping us on the ground.
“Passengers felt completely abandoned by the airline ground workers at Doha, where there was utter chaos for several hours as nobody was sure what was happening,” she added.
Asked if MAS reached out to her after the incident, Wright said the airline had not reverted on compensation.
During the incident, she said passengers were without access to their luggage for over 60 hours and there were babies, nursing mothers, a lady in a wheelchair, and young and elderly people without access to their clothes or urgent medication.
X (formerly Twitter) user @faizalhamssin said reliability was paramount. “I have a soft spot for @MAS – my first flight, first overseas trip, the first ticket I bought with my own money... the brand means a lot to many Malaysians.
“The cabin crew are excellent, always graceful and kind. But in aviation, reliability is important. They’re not doing well here.
“It takes a while to rebuild the trust, and make people view MAS as capable of bringing people from point A to point B on time, seamlessly and without drama, hassle or inconvenience.
“I’ll still fly regionally with them. But long haul, after what happened today and in May? Maybe not,” he posted on the social media platform.
@KammoSiWong tweeted: “Looks like MAS has serious maintenance issues with its aircraft. Another engine failure mid-flight! Do you have the guts to fly on their planes? I don’t. Totally no confidence at all,” he said, tagging Transport Minister Anthony Loke in his tweet.
“I think this is the fifth case involving MAS over the last three months. That’s quite a number of cases in such a short period. I think MAS and @anthonyloke must explain,” said X user @TajuddinKamil.
Over on the True Malaysia Airlines Fans Group Facebook page, user Khatijah Khaur referred to a “tidak apa” (lackadaisical) attitude as the crux of the problem.
“Our ‘tidak apa’ attitude has come back to bite us,” she said, comparing the national carrier to Singapore Airlines.
“... there is no motivation to be better, to do better. At the end of the day, we have nothing to be proud of,” she posted.
