Non Operative Flight on second leg with MAS

[bloomst]

I found this forum when i type in "airlines ombudsman" on Google. I have this negative experience with Malaysian Airlines and not too sure how to respond.

In short, I booked a return ticket for my wife and daughter (infant tix) to fly Melbourne-Jakarta, as they have been offering a direct flight (instead of transitting in Kuala Lumpur for a few hours). One day before the return leg, my wife comfirmed the flight with the MAS groundstaff, and everything is OK. On the day of the flight, I received a (personal, not bulk) SMS from MAS staff, stating that the flight is non operative (21.35), and MAS re-book it to a 7hr earlier(15.45) non-direct flight. The message was sent by 10.00. I did not receive a phone call at all. On a side note, when my wife rang MAS office in Jakarta, she found out that the return leg was non operative since February...which is odd, since they let her re-comfirm her flight.

My-in-law live by 4 hr drive from Jakarta, and with the 2hr minimum checking time, it is not possible to catch the earlier flight, since i only read the SMS at 12.00. They offered my wife next available flight (non direct, Jakarta-Kuala Lumpur-Melbourne) which is 4 days later with no extra cost, but if my wife want to take a Fri/Sat flight it's an extra US$147 (so I can pick them up at the airport).

I'm really dissapointed with this re-scheduling of my wife return flight, so many reason to be p****d about:

• My wife ended up taking a non direct flight (tagging along a 14 month old is too much)
• Non proffesionalism in re-scheduling the flight
• Letting my wife re-comfirm a ticket on a non operative flight
• and on top of that, I wasted 1 day of Annual Leave (I put in an AL in order to pick them up at Tullamarine, which I worked it out, if I work for 3 weeks, I got 1 day of AL)

I've send a customer feedback from the website on 15 March and I have no response apart from the automated email. I still kept the original flight details, and its replacement, and the original SMS.

Should I wait for a few more day, or should I called them up? In reality, what would be MAS respond when I voiced this dissatisfaction? Should I be taking this matter further, or maybe just forget about this incident and cross off MAS from my preffered airlines list?

Your comment is greatly appreciated...Ta

 

[mannej]

I am sorry that your wife had such a poor experience with MH, as it surprises me to say the least.

Even though 7 days is a normal waiting period with airlines in this day and age (especially if you have no status), I would not rely on this method. MH does have an office in Melbourne, and I would phone them directly to discuss the matter with them. Their contact details are found on this page - Malaysia Airlines - Worldwide Offices Search Result .

As CGK is not a hub for MH, the chances of things going pear-shaped when they cancel a flight is probably higher than if you are flying out of KUL, as they have more options of getting you home. Airlines sending texts out to affected passengers is not new, and if you receive a text (CX I am looking at you) that just states the flight has been cancelled and to contact your local booking office, things can be quite expensive and stressful for those involved, gone are the days where airlines would call affected passengers. Apart from having to go to KUL and doubling back, KUL is probably an easy airport to transit through.

I would suggest bringing it up with your local MH office, as it does not sound that your wife's case was handled satisfactorily, and I can see the local MH office trying to make the effort the resolve your issue.

Just one hint in order to help present your case to MH is to stick to the facts related with the flight and service only. Do not bring in extra info which does not relate to the actual flight, or lack of service your wife received. If you keep to that hint, it makes it easier for the airline to help resolve your complaint.