Syarikat penerbangan perlu adil kepada penumpang

 
Jofri Jaraiee, 19 Nov 2012
AirAsia sebuah syarikat penerbangan tambang murah telah memberi banyak kemudahan kepada pengguna yang kurang berkemampuan untuk menikmati penerbangan tambang murah. Semua penerbangan AirAsia dikendalikan oleh Terminal Penerbangan Tambang Murah (LCCT).

Ramai yang bersyukur kerana dapat menggunakan khidmat penerbangan murah tersebut, walaupun dulu hanya terdapat sebuah syarikat penerbangan yang mengendalinya dengan mengenakan bayaran yang tinggi.

Walaubagaimana pun ramai juga yang kurang berpuas hati cara pengurusan pihak AirAsia terutama sekali mengenakan caj atau penalti kepada pengguna yang lewat atau tersalah info tentang jadual penerbangan atau tempat berlepas terutama sekali di KL LCCT. Ada juga caj tersembunyi walaupun dikatakan tambang murah.


Contoh penerbangan di KL LCCT untuk penerbangan domestik di mana ada setengah kuanter dibuka untuk penerbangan ke destinasi yang sama tetapi di tempat pintu perlepasan yang berlainan.

Ada sesetengah penumpang yang baru datang agak keliru dengan tempat perlepasan dan ada yang tersilap tempat menunggu sehingga apabila mereka sedar yang pesawat sudah pun berlepas hanya dalam beberapa minit saja.

Antara sebabnya adalah suara pengumuman kurang jelas dan tidak secara menyeluruh di kawasan tempat menunggu dan ada juga petugas tidak berada di kuanter sehingga waktu hendak berlepas barulah mereka muncul.

Ada yang sudah datang awal tetapi tiba-tiba pula jadual penerbangan ditunda lebih dari 1 jam tetapi tiada sebarang bayaran balik atau sekurang-kurangnya kupon hidangan ringan diberikan oleh pihak pengurusan AirAsia. Apabila penumpang datang lewat sedikit atau 10 minit lewat dari jadual penerbangan mereka pula dilarang masuk dan akan dikenakan penalti kalau mahu meneruskan penerbangan.

Inilah satu perkara yang tidak adil kepada pengguna, di mana hanya pihak syarikat yang untung dalam perjanjian yang agak berat sebelah ini. Kalau pihak syarikat yang membuat kesilapan, tidak pula pengguna dapat menuntut bayaran balik walaupun mereka terlewat setengah atau 1 jam lebih dari jadual penerbangan.

Macam-macam syarat pula dikenakan oleh pihak syarikat kepada pengguna kalau mahu menuntut bayaran balik.

Pihak pengguna juga berhak menuntut bayaran balik sekiranya mereka terpaksa terlewat penerbangan disebabkan oleh pihak penerbangan AirAsia atau mana-mana syarikat penerbangan yang menangguhkan penerbangan mengikut jadual.

Kita mengesa agar pihak kerajaan mengkaji semula caj atau kos tersembunyi yang selalu dikenakan oleh pihak syarikat kepada pengguna. Jangan hanya pengguna saja boleh dicaj atau didenda sedangkan apabila berlaku sebaliknya pihak syarikat pula boleh bebas tanpa sebarang tindakan dikenakan.

Kita mahu semua pihak dilayan dengan adil, bukan hanya pentingkan pihak korporat saja sehingga pengguna menjadi mangsa.

Harap perkara ini dapat perhatian yang sewajarnya dari pihak kerajaan dan mereka yang diamanahkan untuk menjaga kebajikan rakyat. Kebajikan rakyat mesti diutamakan dari pihak yang hanya mementingkan keuntungan semata-mata.

Penulis ialah Yang Dipertua PAS Miri yang juga Timbalan Pesuruhjaya PAS Sarawak.

English version
Airlines Need to be Fair to Passengers

AirAsia is a low-cost airline has given a lot of convenience to consumers who are less fortunate to enjoy low-cost flights. All of AirAsia’s flights are handled by the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT);

Many are grateful to be able to use cheap flights, although before this only one airline to handle it by charging higher fees.

However, many are not satisfied with the way the management of AirAsia, especially charge or penalties for late or mis-information about the flight schedule or departure point, especially in KL LCCT. There are also hidden charges even say cheap fares.

Example flight at KL LCCT for domestic flights where there are some counter open for flights to the same destination but at different boarding gate.

Some passengers who had just arrived a bit confused with the points of departure and they are mistakenly waiting at the wrong places, and when they realize it the plane had already been departed in just a few minutes.

Among the reasons are, unclear sound of the announcement and not as a whole in the waiting area and some staff are not at the counter until time to departure then they appear.

Some had come earlier but was suddenly postponed the flight schedule more than 1 hour but no refund or at least a light meal coupon provided by the management of AirAsia. When passengers come a little bit late or 10 minutes late from their flight schedules were not allowed to enter and will be penalized if they want to continue the flight.

This is the one thing that is not fair to the consumer, which is the company make a profit in the agreement is somewhat biased. If the company make mistakes, nor can consumer refund even if they delayed a half or one hour more than the flight schedule.

All sorts of conditions were imposed by the company to the consumer if they want to claim a refund.

The consumer is entitled to claim a refund if they had delayed flights due to the AirAsia carrier or any other carriers that postpone flights on schedule.

We urge that the government is reviewing the charges or hidden costs that always imposed by the company to the consumer. Do not just consumer can only be charged or fined whereas when there is otherwise the company can turn freely without any action imposed.

We want all parties to be treated fairly, not just concerned only to the corporate until the consumer  become a victims.

Hope this can be due attention from the government and those who are entrusted to look after the welfare of the people. Welfare of the people must be a priority from the parties that only pursue profits alone.

Given the short shrift by AirAsia

November 22, 2012
FMT LETTER: From Mok Yen Ching, via e-mail
I had a very unpleasant experience with AirAsia, and when I contacted the company for an explaination, I was given the short shrift. It was over a fraud committed by an AirAsia staff. Below is the e-mail I wrote to AirAsia on June 14, 2012 on the matter.

I bought a ticket from Phnom Penh to Kuala Lumpur, booking number A 6D75J under the name Mok Yen Ching. It’s a promo ticket. However, when I checked in on June 14, 2012 at 8.20am for flight AK1477 from Phnom Penh to Kuala Lumpur, I was denied entry because the staff told me the passenger’s name is stated Zhengxia Zhai and not my name Mok Yen Ching. I was shocked. The staff told me that my name was changed to Zhengxia Zhai on July 19, 2011. I had no choice but to buy a new ticket on the spot.

When I reached LCCT, I went to see the staff and they checked on the situation for me. They were shocked too, and said there was something wrong as it’s a promo ticket and promo tickets do not allow names to be changed. And there were no charges incurred for the change of name too. Later I was also informed it was done by an AirAisa staff as it had the staff’s code.
Upon hearing that, I was really upset as all the trouble and anxieties it had caused me. And it was not my fault at all but a problem that was brought upon me by an AirAsia staff who had committed a fraud. Fraud is a serious offence and sad that it happened in a company like yours. AirAsia always talks about their slogan the Best Low Cost Carrier.

How do you define ‘Best’ when you can’t even secure my ticket and allow this to happen. I have to pay for a new ticket which is totally not my fault and which is embarassing to say…it was something done by your own staff. I do urge you to seriously look into this. I should not be charged to pay for a new ticket over a fraud done by your own staff. Please get back to me as soon as possible.

  The management did get back to me, and promised a refund. However, I was shocked to know the refund was for the previous ticket that cost RM300 and not for the new ticket that cost RM500 which I was forced to buy on the spot, as my ticket was stolen online by an AirAsia staff.

Logically, the refund should be for the new ticket as in the first place I need not puchase a new ticket if my old one was not stolen from under my nose. The new ticket cost RM500, if the refund is for my old ticket RM300, then does it mean I have to fork out the extra RM200? Where is the fairness in this?
I am made to pay for a crime committed by their staff. I asked the management profusely for an explanation. To my disappointment, not only did they refused to give me a reply, they banked in the RM300 into my friend’s bank account who happened to be helping me as the AirAsia management has my friend’s bank account due to a previous case.

This is just a sheer disappointment, coming for a big company like AirAsia to handle this case in such an unprofessional way. They refuse to reply to a customer’s question and indirectly banked in the amount into someone’s else’s bank account and considered the case is closed. This is totally shocking.
Every customer has a right to ask, and the management should deal the matter professionally. Has the management thought on my behalf, thankfully my friend was truthful to inform me of the money being banked into his account. What if he did not inform me? I would never know the money was returned.
And that too, the right amount should be refunded. Why is the company making me pay the extra RM 200 for a fraud committed by their own staff. Where is justice? Where is my right as a customer? Hope the media would voice this out on the behalf of me and who knows many more innocent victims of AirAsia.