Airlines told to rectify all issues following passenger complaints

The transport ministry has instructed all airlines involved to immediately rectify the issues experienced by passengers following grievances and grouses aired over delays, rescheduling and technical problems.

Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong said his ministry and its aviation-related agencies – the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) and the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) – had received and investigated the reports and feedback given by passengers on their experiences.

Adding that the government sympathises with their plight, he said many of the complaints could be attributed to higher-than-usual passenger traffic during the festive season where airlines had to fully utilise their aircraft fleets to meet demand.

In a statement, he said aircraft with technical issues had been taken out of service for more thorough maintenance.

As of today, all of the complaints related to rescheduling and flight backlog had been rectified and schedules put back on track, he said.

“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,” he said.

He said the authorities had also reprimanded the parties involved and told them to ensure strict compliance with technical, economic, and safety regulations.

He added that action would be taken against operators that fail to do so.

He said the ministry and its agencies would also continue to monitor aviation service providers to ensure full and uncompromising compliance with maintenance and technical upkeep.

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

Over the past few days, passengers of local airlines had aired their grievances on social media over delays, the rescheduling of flights as well as technical issues such as non-functioning air-conditioning.