"How MAB Ruined Our Chinese New Year" - Audrey

[JuliusWong 0]

Update: Malaysia Airlines has reimbursed 10,000 miles to Audrey and Timothy. An investigation will be launched.

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/40705110@N08/32428018401

[Mike P 0]

Overbooking is not something new and causing passengers to be kicked out. It happened to many, remember the time when KUL - LHR flights were overbooked and the MH staffs were even assaulted? That could be worse right? Given that she still got a chance to drive back home!

 

Well it does suck if it happen to anyone got kicked out, even to my sis's KCH - SIN. Best is to do the online or mobile check in once it's opened for check in.

[Lim Kar Yong 0]

Update: Malaysia Airlines has reimbursed 10,000 miles to Audrey and Timothy. An investigation will be launched.

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/40705110@N08/32428018401

 

At least some positive action from MAB after the story went public. Many others may not get this sort of immediate response from MAB if we choose to be silent about it or just email in to them.

 

I recall some years ago, a flight I was on from LHR to AMS on KLM was overbooked and the check in agent offered 400euro as compensation and put me on the next flight (which is less than 2 hrs later). If something like this was offered, perhaps it might have contained the frustrations and anger. Years ago, MH also overbooked an evening flight to LHR from KUL and offered the following day morning flight with free upgrade to First, and free overnight accommodation in Pan Pacific (as it was knowned then) and meals.

 

 

[JuliusWong 0]

Update: Malaysia Airlines has reimbursed 10,000 miles to Audrey and Timothy. An investigation will be launched.

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/40705110@N08/32428018401

Sorry, I wrote wrongly. MAB returned all redeemed miles with additional 10,000 miles.

 

At least some positive action from MAB after the story went public. Many others may not get this sort of immediate response from MAB if we choose to be silent about it or just email in to them.

 

I recall some years ago, a flight I was on from LHR to AMS on KLM was overbooked and the check in agent offered 400euro as compensation and put me on the next flight (which is less than 2 hrs later). If something like this was offered, perhaps it might have contained the frustrations and anger. Years ago, MH also overbooked an evening flight to LHR from KUL and offered the following day morning flight with free upgrade to First, and free overnight accommodation in Pan Pacific (as it was knowned then) and meals.

 

 

True, it could have been handled better, maybe a short stay at Sama Sama Hotel or something. Something for toddler and little kiddo. I guess MH is too financially chronic to offer anything more than their own lounge. In EU, airlines are obliged to offer compensation and arrange alternative flight. Failure to do so will see a lawsuit flyong their way. I shall see what MavCom can do to MH since it is happening often. AK Group and Malindo too. Edited January 27, 2017 by JuliusWong

[Azman MN 1]

Same old problem with MH, lack of a good recovery when something goes wrong. Things do go wrong, but how you handle it can really make a difference to one's perception of the airline. Having travelled with little kids myself, I can understand completely her situation.

 

On the other hand, I read both her blogs and I find it very difficult to symphatize with her. Seriously, going around kicking signboards? What kind of behaviour is this? Of course I don't know her and she could be the sweetest person in the world, but surely she would win more support if she is less hostile. I can see where Sandeep G is coming from.

[Suzanne Goh 0]

I can see where Sandeep G is coming from.

As can I. I personally know a whole bunch of people who work in airports behind counters, and this kind of aggression usually means calling in the police.

 

You may think this is overreacting as she's just a tiny girl with an infant but there is a good reason for it. This kind of aggression makes OTHER passengers nervous.

 

If you want to fly, always be prepared that things can go wrong, and when they do, be firm and be polite with the staff you're dealing with, but never lose your cool.

 

Have I been bumped? Yes. More times than i can count. Know the rules, know your rights (if you don't, learn them), and over time you'll come out comfortably ahead of the curve compensation wise.

 

Less: I am enrich mega super titanium elite extra kow kow tambah limau card for 12 years you know?

Less: You know who i am? You know who my grandfather is ah? My hubby is 3rd biggest tai loh in Klang, 2nd biggest in Selangor and number 1 in Malaysia. I teach you a lesson. You come outside now!

Less: I swear I'll tell NST, and the star and malaysiakini and all my 75 friends on Facebook.

 

More: Ok. What are the options? Can you FIM (flight interrupt manifest aka transfer) me to another airline?

More: There's another one at 1050. Looks like there are no more economy seats, but some business (yes, that means arming yourself with some tools). Can I be put on that one?

Doing all this means you put the pressure back on the agent to not fob you off with "Computer says no" canned answers (watch Little Britain- Carol Beer for that reference)

 

Yes, it does involve a bit of preparation and arming yourself. But then, I do that if i buy a car. I don't walk into the showroom to put a downpayment without knowing what the car can do. Same goes for most things

that i consider large purchases.

 

Her blog is an overly dramatic rant.

 

Travelers need to arm themselves with knowledge. Not threats

Edited January 27, 2017 by Suzanne Goh

[Chris Tan 0]

If you want to fly, always be prepared that things can go wrong, and when they do, be firm and be polite with the staff you're dealing with, but never lose your cool.

 

...

 

I don't walk into the showroom to put a downpayment without knowing what the car can do. Same goes for most things

that i consider large purchases.

 

Her blog is an overly dramatic rant.

 

Travelers need to arm themselves with knowledge. Not threats

I can sympathise with the ground staff who have to put up with this.

 

I have a ticket, so I must have a seat. You gave away my seat because I arrived 2 minutes before the cutoff time? How dare you. I've been a loyal blue card member for years. Is this how you treat your VIPs? Your whole airline is a sham

Edited January 27, 2017 by Chris Tan

[Lim Kar Yong 0]

 

 

Less: I am enrich mega super titanium elite extra kow kow tambah limau card for 12 years you know?

 

 

I just love the way you describe this, Suzanne.

[BC Tam 2]

 

I just love the way you describe this, Suzanne.

She can probably reel off numbers of such cards from her personal collection too, but this being a public forum .......

[Ashley Lee 0]

Same old problem with MH, lack of a good recovery when something goes wrong. Things do go wrong, but how you handle it can really make a difference to one's perception of the airline. Having travelled with little kids myself, I can understand completely her situation.

 

On the other hand, I read both her blogs and I find it very difficult to symphatize with her. Seriously, going around kicking signboards? What kind of behaviour is this? Of course I don't know her and she could be the sweetest person in the world, but surely she would win more support if she is less hostile. I can see where Sandeep G is coming from.

Kicking signboards? As in metaphorically or actually kicking signboards?

 

Kudos to MAB though for the refund and their email of apology!

[Aaron Brown 0]

 

As can I. I personally know a whole bunch of people who work in airports behind counters, and this kind of aggression usually means calling in the police.

 

You may think this is overreacting as she's just a tiny girl with an infant but there is a good reason for it. This kind of aggression makes OTHER passengers nervous.

 

If you want to fly, always be prepared that things can go wrong, and when they do, be firm and be polite with the staff you're dealing with, but never lose your cool.

 

Have I been bumped? Yes. More times than i can count. Know the rules, know your rights (if you don't, learn them), and over time you'll come out comfortably ahead of the curve compensation wise.

 

Less: I am enrich mega super titanium elite extra kow kow tambah limau card for 12 years you know?

Less: You know who i am? You know who my grandfather is ah? My hubby is 3rd biggest tai loh in Klang, 2nd biggest in Selangor and number 1 in Malaysia. I teach you a lesson. You come outside now!

Less: I swear I'll tell NST, and the star and malaysiakini and all my 75 friends on Facebook.

 

More: Ok. What are the options? Can you FIM (flight interrupt manifest aka transfer) me to another airline?

More: There's another one at 1050. Looks like there are no more economy seats, but some business (yes, that means arming yourself with some tools). Can I be put on that one?

Doing all this means you put the pressure back on the agent to not fob you off with "Computer says no" canned answers (watch Little Britain- Carol Beer for that reference)

 

Yes, it does involve a bit of preparation and arming yourself. But then, I do that if i buy a car. I don't walk into the showroom to put a downpayment without knowing what the car can do. Same goes for most things

that i consider large purchases.

 

Her blog is an overly dramatic rant.

 

Travelers need to arm themselves with knowledge. Not threats

 

As always Suzanne, you never ceased to amaze me. Very funny. And I have seen what you described in front of my very eyes as per LESS section. And honestly at that point, I lost respect for this woman for her tantrums and her showing all her cards and connections. I understood the frustration but again that was how she handled the stress.

 

And I do love your Little Britain analogy which I doubt it can be aired in Malaysia anytime in the future. That tickled my funny bone big time. I am sure there are always ways to handle things in respected approaches. For all the bad manners and showing off, 'Computer says NO'.

 

Thank you Suzanne for a brilliant description for this wet CNY. Gong Xi Fa Cai everyone. Xin Nian Kuai Le

[Md Amer 0]

So..based on my observation the person called as Audrey came very last minutes before flight which 30 minutes.. so the chance getting bumped off is high.. am I right ?

[Izanee 0]

Suzanne's 'tambah limau' comment had me in stitches!! PMSL

[Khalil Abd Halim 0]

So..based on my observation the person called as Audrey came very last minutes before flight which 30 minutes.. so the chance getting bumped off is high.. am I right ?

 

she's not late, the earlier flight was cancelled and they put those pax on her flight and bumped her out. regardless of many people here tried their best to justify and put up defences for MH, knowing in advance that some of your pax will not be able to fly in their intended flight, why couldnt they at least provide prior notification so that all those unfortunate people could opt for other alternatives, so unprofessional and yes i agree with the blogger, this is even worst than LCC. Even Malindo will always prompt pax of any delays including those which do not even exceed 1 hour. I wonder how long the current CEO will last.......

[KK Lee 5]

 

she's not late, the earlier flight was cancelled and they put those pax on her flight and bumped her out. regardless of many people here tried their best to justify and put up defences for MH, knowing in advance that some of your pax will not be able to fly in their intended flight, why couldnt they at least provide prior notification so that all those unfortunate people could opt for other alternatives, so unprofessional and yes i agree with the blogger, this is even worst than LCC. Even Malindo will always prompt pax of any delays including those which do not even exceed 1 hour. I wonder how long the current CEO will last.......

Believe mab should have moved earlier cancelled flight pax to vacant seats of later flights. Instead of cascading the issue by bumping pax.

 

If Audrey company were bumped for earlier cancelled flight, there could be more pax from Audrey flight were bumped.

[Azman MN 1]

Well said Suzanne.

 

What MH did was not right, and even if within the rules of the contract, is lacking some common sense.

 

But this blogger.. lacks finishing school.

[Mohd Suhaimi Fariz 2]

she's not late, the earlier flight was cancelled and they put those pax on her flight and bumped her out. regardless of many people here tried their best to justify and put up defences for MH, knowing in advance that some of your pax will not be able to fly in their intended flight, why couldnt they at least provide prior notification so that all those unfortunate people could opt for other alternatives, so unprofessional and yes i agree with the blogger, this is even worst than LCC. Even Malindo will always prompt pax of any delays including those which do not even exceed 1 hour. I wonder how long the current CEO will last.......

We don't know whether the airline made a decision to bump passengers in advance or that they held out until they can't hold out no more. Don't forget that she arrived at the airport 30 minutes before check-in closes (which in my book is late) so they could have released her seats just minutes before she stepped into the terminal.

[Ashley Lee 0]

We don't know whether the airline made a decision to bump passengers in advance or that they held out until they can't hold out no more. Don't forget that she arrived at the airport 30 minutes before check-in closes (which in my book is late) so they could have released her seats just minutes before she stepped into the terminal.

She arrived 1 hour 30 minutes before her flight (at the airport I'm assuming), check in closes (for domestic flights) 45 minutes before departure, so she arrived 45 minutes before check in closed.

 

In my books, that's pretty early for a domestic flight, given that she had the privilege of using the J check-in counters. In my experience, I've arrived as late as 35 minutes before departure and still managed to check in my luggage.

 

These timings however are her own claims. Perhaps there was a queue at the J check-in and by the time it was her turn to check-in, it might've been "too late". Who knows, let's wait for MH to investigate and provide us with some objective data points.

Edited January 29, 2017 by Ashley Lee

[jahur 0]

Definitely bad Customer Service response by MAS or is it under aerodarat? Knowing it is peak season they shouldve adjusted standbys and priority listing but the system is unable to do so. My friend had a similar experience with Thai Airways and he lost his connecting flight(they moved him to the next available flight) but it is useless as he is still unable to attend his meeting.

 

It seems quite a number airlines have begun to employ this seat flooding overbooking algorithm in its system for additional seat revenue capacity to anticipate current pax might change flight or cancelled/no show on flights. Selling more seats than the plane could hold. It is pretty unfair to the consumers.

Edited January 29, 2017 by jahur

[Radzi 2]

_{I always (and still) believe that there should be no overbooking whatsoever, and any no-show passenger should never be given any refund except for some very exceptional circumstances.}

[KK Lee 5]

_{I always (and still) believe that there should be no overbooking whatsoever, and any no-show passenger should never be given any refund except for some very exceptional circumstances.}

Believe this is the model adopted by LCC.

[Mohd Suhaimi Fariz 2]

She arrived 1 hour 30 minutes before her flight (at the airport I'm assuming), check in closes (for domestic flights) 45 minutes before departure, so she arrived 45 minutes before check in closed.

 

Actually it closes 1 hour before departure in KUL, even for domestic flights.

 

http://www.malaysiaairlines.com/my/en/plan/check-in/counter.html

 

It seems quite a number airlines have begun to employ this seat flooding overbooking algorithm in its system for additional seat revenue capacity to anticipate current pax might change flight or cancelled/no show on flights. Selling more seats than the plane could hold. It is pretty unfair to the consumers.

 

Overbooking is not new. It's been done for ages & while it's "unfair" for consumers, it's the only way for airline to maximize revenue. An empty seat is lost revenue that can't be recovered so it's important for the airline to ensure that all seats are filled. Looking the other way I'd say it's unfair for an airline to hold a seat for a passenger only for them to cancel at the last minute & the airline loses the fare because they asked for a refund. With airline profits being razor thin as it is, one passenger can be the difference between a profitable flight & a loss making one.

 

_{I always (and still) believe that there should be no overbooking whatsoever, and any no-show passenger should never be given any refund except for some very exceptional circumstances.}

It's a compelling idea, but not sure how those paying the higher fares would take it though if it's applied to them.

Edited January 29, 2017 by Mohd Suhaimi Fariz

[Ashley Lee 0]

 

Actually it closes 1 hour before departure in KUL, even for domestic flights.

 

http://www.malaysiaairlines.com/my/en/plan/check-in/counter.html

 

 

Overbooking is not new. It's been done for ages & while it's "unfair" for consumers, it's the only way for airline to maximize revenue. An empty seat is lost revenue that can't be recovered so it's important for the airline to ensure that all seats are filled. Looking the other way I'd say it's unfair for an airline to hold a seat for a passenger only for them to cancel at the last minute & the airline loses the fare because they asked for a refund. With airline profits being razor thin as it is, one passenger can be the difference between a profitable flight & a loss making one.

 

It's a compelling idea, but not sure how those paying the higher fares would take it though if it's applied to them.

My mistake, anecdotal experiences have however suggested otherwise. Nevertheless, she still made it before the cut off point.

[Ashley Lee 0]

An update on the situation: http://fourfeetnine.com/2017/01/29/update-malaysia-airlines-wants-to-make-amends/

 

Well done to MH!

[BC Tam 2]

Customer care is also overwhelmed due to number of feed-back vs staff manning them, at this point in time. Again, steps has (sic) been taken to resolve this issue with enhanced systems and alternative manpower options

​Yup, you people are whinging way too often than we can stomach, so we will switch these complaint channels to one of those totally impersonal and dispiriting (but totally effective from our point of view) tele-prompted 'customer service' systems. You know, being drawn into the "press two for English ..... etc" monologue; mercy upon you should you eventually opt of the "press zero to speak to our customer service representative ....." - for this is where the "alternative manpower option" kicks in (what is the alternative ?!)