AirAsia told to respond to flight delay complaints

AirAsia will provide feedback on consumer issues, including those related to flight delays and rescheduling, to the domestic trade and consumer affairs ministry (KPDNHEP) within 24 hours.

Minister Alexander Nanta Linggi said after compiling consumers’ grievances and complaints on the issue of AirAsia flight delays, KPDNHEP had made a preliminary study in terms of consumer interests under the ministry’s purview and contacted the AirAsia management for feedback.

He said among the issues revolving around the interests of consumers highlighted in the initial engagement with AirAsia were flight delays, the review of flight schedules of up to more than six hours, as well as consumers’ eligibility for compensation in the event of flight delays.

“For the convenience of consumers, I ask AirAsia to provide a flow chart on the process of filing a formal complaint for compensation, subject to the guidelines set by Mavcom (Malaysian Aviation Commission) as the regulatory agency on the issue,” Nanta said in a Twitter post today.

He said although the aviation industry was under the purview of the transport ministry, he, as the minister dealing with consumer issues, would intervene if the matter was related to consumer rights.

“There is no ‘sembang kari’ (empty talk), conducting investigation upon investigation, or just doing nothing in this issue. The interest of consumers is my responsibility as the KPDNHEP minister,” he said.

Nanta in a Twitter post yesterday said KPDNHEP would conduct an investigation in the interest of consumers on the issue of delays and the rescheduling of domestic flights involving AirAsia.

This followed grievances and complaints from consumers regarding the issue of AirAsia flight delays to various destinations in the country which had been detected since the end of last month and which were still ongoing.