Confirmed Adulterer Screws AirAsia

Kinabatangan MP Bung Mokhtar Radin today trained his guns on local airline companies AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines, accusing them of having unsatisfactory and inadequate services to destinations in Sabah. The Umno backbencher claimed AirAsia was focusing too much on charging “hidden costs” instead of operating as a low-cost carrier true to the publicity it enjoyed.

He said the airline should rightfully consider the interests of its low-income customers. He added that his comments were based on the experiences of Sabahans like himself who took flights in places like Sandakan, Kota Kinabalu and Kuala Lumpur. He alleged that AirAsia rejected passengers even if they were only 10 minutes late and asked them to buy new tickets.

“This happened in front of my eyes,” he said in his speech during the debate on the Supply Bill 2018 allocation for the transport ministry at the Dewan Rakyat here today. Many village people were crying because they did not have the money to buy new tickets.”

He said AirAsia should learn from airline companies in Europe that took care of passengers’ welfare and carried out more corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes.

“I don’t know how it can win the prize for best airline in the world year after year. If I was the one evaluating, I would not give marks at all because I don’t think it is deserving.”

Shamsul Anuar Nasarah (BN-Lenggong) agreed with Bung, claiming he had not seen AirAsia helping those in the low-income category.

“Doesn’t AirAsia have CSR? It’s not easy for people who are facing hardships to buy tickets,” he said, adding that Bung had raised the issue before but to no avail. Bung also criticised Malaysia Airlines, which operates MASwings, for limiting the service’s flights between Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan.

“The flights are only at 8am and 5pm. Last time there were flights in the afternoon, now there are none. I don’t know where Malaysia Airlines’ brains are,” he added. He said he was only asking for the flight schedules to be based on passengers’ convenience and not the company’s whim.

“I ask the government to call Malaysia Airlines (representatives) to Kota Kinabalu and discuss how it can restructure the flights (in Sabah),” he said. Marcus Majigoh (BN-Putatan) said once, he had to sleep in the airport because there were too few flights operating between Sandakan and Kota Kinabalu.

“I had to sleep in Sandakan (airport), and had to buy a new ticket,” he said.

“The flights are also always late,” he added, calling for an increase in the number of flights.