THE Transport Ministry has told airlines to do better at monitoring technical issues related to flight service and communication with passengers. 

Minister Wee Ka Siong said this comes after complaints by passengers on problems related to higher-than-usual passenger traffic. 

“The government sympathises with the plight of the passengers and has sought to reduce these issues with the airlines. 

“In the interest of safety and technical compliance to civil aviation regulations and passenger comfort, the ministry has tasked airlines to better monitor technical issues related to flight service and better communicate these issues to passengers in order to reduce inconvenience,” Wee said in a statement today.

“Much of the complaints can be attributed to higher-than-usual passenger traffic during the festive season with the airlines having to fully utilise their aircraft fleet to meet demand. Aircraft that faced technical issues were also taken out of service for more thorough maintenance.

“Upon consultation and investigations, the airlines involved have been instructed to immediately rectify the issues experienced by passengers and other customers.

“The ministry asks for the public to remain patient and continue to give detailed feedback to airlines in order to resolve any further operational issues,” Wee added.

Complaints were received through the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) and the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom), as well as on social media.

Wee said transport authorities had also “reprimanded parties involved to ensure strict compliance to technical, economic, and safety regulations”. 

“(Authorities) will not hesitate to take action against operators that fail to do so. 

“Equally important, it is vital for airlines to also improve their communication channels to their passengers and customers to keep them properly informed of flight statuses,” Wee said. 

Bandar Kuching MP and DAP Youth chief Kelvin Yii had also today urged the Transport Ministry as well the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry to be more proactive and act over the complaints of constant delays and rescheduling of domestic flights. 

Yii said these complaints involve various airlines, including AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines. 

Complaints had surged recently because of the Hari Raya festive season and involved changing flight times, causing some passengers to be stranded for up to 10 hours. 

“For consumers, it can be interpreted as a form of ‘misrepresentation’ if they purchase a certain flight at a certain time, but it gets rescheduled to a different time. There has to be some form of reasonable threshold on the number of flights in a certain time period that can be rescheduled.” 

Yii also said consumers have had problems claiming compensation, which airlines make subject to troublesome terms and conditions.

Wee said that as of today, all complaints related to rescheduling and flight backlogs have been rectified and operations are back on track. – May 10, 2022.