MAS passengers mad at being kicked off overbooked flights

[Guest Fendy]

KUALA LUMPUR: Overbooked passengers on Malaysia Airlines are hopping mad after they were told to give up their seats at short notice.

 

Things got so bad that several MAS ticketing staff at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) were apparently slapped and verbally abused by irate passengers.

 

"They shouted at us using foul language. Some of us were even slapped.

 

"The management had to put a policeman on standby at our counters to protect us," said a worker at the airport.

 

It is learnt that an average of 30 passengers were off-loaded from each flight heading to Europe, the United States and Japan.

 

Attempts by the New Straits Times to find out the total number of affected passengers was unsuccessful but it is believed that there were hundreds who were off-loaded.

 

The New Straits Times conducted a check after it was besieged by calls from angry passengers complaining about their plight.

 

The problem it seems had been occurring since the peak New Year period.

 

Passengers were especially angry as they were only informed that they were being off-loaded two hours before departure.

 

This, it seems, is unlike the practice of most other airlines which would ask passengers to voluntarily give up their seats.

 

These passengers would then be compensated with cash and meal vouchers.

 

If there were no volunteers, the airlines would then remove them from the flight based on "last-in-first-out".

 

According to several travel agents, on MAS flights, passengers who had paid the least would be the first to be removed when there is an overbooking.

 

However, the off-loaded passengers would be given meal vouchers, hotel accommodation, transportation, cash, compensation of RM600 each, free upgrade to business class (if there were any available seats) and free telephone calls.

 

Malaysia Airlines commercial director Datuk Abdul Rashid Khan said that controlled overbooking was a common industry practice by full-service carriers.

 

"In the case of some of our flights during the New Year period, we had an exceptionally high number of off-loaded passengers. This was partly due to overbooking and passengers who were on delayed flights from other parts of our network.

 

"The passengers who arrived on the delayed flights had to be given priority on the next available connecting flight. It was indeed unfortunate that we had to turn down confirmed passengers on these flights," he said in a statement.

 

Rashid said MAS activated its service recovery measures for the affected passengers, arranging alternative air travel, accommodation, ground transfers to and from KLIA and compensated them.

 

"We even transferred some passengers to other airlines at our cost. Our staff on duty at KLIA also conveyed our apologies to the passengers."

 

Rashid said the industry standard for denied-boarding among key European and US airlines is 10 to 14 passengers per 10,000 passengers.

 

"At Malaysia Airlines, we have a recommended denied-boarding benchmark of six per 10,000 passengers. Our actual performance, however, has been, on average, less than one person per 10,000 passengers."

 

Among those who were upset with MAS over its off-loading practice was Ajit Roy whose daughter, Shapna Roy, and her five-year-old son, Rahul Weston, were unable to board their flight to London last Friday.

 

Shapna was in a state of panic as she was due back at work yesterday while her son was due in school today.

 

"The MAS supervisor in charge of the situation was very apologetic and promised to put my daughter on the next available flight to London," Ajit said.

 

He said his daughter was given a total of RM900 in compensation, an upgrade to business class and also a free limousine ride to and from his house in Petaling Jaya.

 

Shapna and Rahul were put on the 11.55pm flight to London the next day.

 

"She could not understand why she was off-loaded despite having confirmed her seats two months ago. The Friday night flight would have given her enough time to overcome the jetlag," Ajit said.

 

Although upset, Ajit was happy with the way the MAS supervisor handled his daughter’s case. He said he noticed many passengers venting their anger on the staff.

 

Source, New Straits Times

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/nst/Tue...icle/index_html

[Gavin Andrew David 6]

given a total of RM900 in compensation, an upgrade to business class and also a free limousine ride to and from his house in Petaling Jaya.

 

wow , pretty good compensation ...

 

[Sim Lim Shen 0]

While I had seen this a lot while flying domestically within the US, I have not personally experienced one while flying internationally. Hope this translates to good earnings for MH.

[Tamizi Hj Tamby 1]

Uuuu...Looks like the passengers were really pissed off suprised to hear this incident.Thanks for sharing with us,Fendy

[Radzi 2]

This is one thing I really agree with Air Asia's style. No refund, no overbooking. MAS should so something similiar.

[Chan CS 0]

I was once in a flight where my relatives being offloaded as a reason of overbooking, but when we(not offloaded) were in the flight, we still see plenty of empty seats! Sometimes I really can't understand that.

 

And such thing happen many times when I ask for seat they'll said not available, but actually plenty of them are empty.

 

 

Chan

[Teoh Z Yao 0]

I was once in a flight where my relatives being offloaded as a reason of overbooking, but when we(not offloaded) were in the flight, we still see plenty of empty seats! Sometimes I really can't understand that.

 

And such thing happen many times when I ask for seat they'll said not available, but actually plenty of them are empty.

Chan

Birocracy...

 

 

 

I am surprised to hear this news. How could this happen, I'd really like to know. I wonder if I book a MAS flight home this CNY would that happen to me also? This is not good to MAS, is it?

[Mushrif A 3]

This is one thing I really agree with Air Asia's style. No refund, no overbooking. MAS should so something similiar.

 

 

I believe certain MH fare classes have no refund value (booking class V?). MH cannot simply follow AK, as it is a full-service airline. Remember, one is supposed to get what one paid for.

 

[Mushrif A 3]

Birocracy...

I am surprised to hear this news. How could this happen, I'd really like to know. I wonder if I book a MAS flight home this CNY would that happen to me also? This is not good to MAS, is it?

 

This is actually a normal event within the airline business, not unlike a delayed flight, an aircraft going tech. In fact, MH compensated the affected pax. Usually airlines would request for volunteers but I think during that peak period, nobody volunteered as everybody wanted to get to where they had to be after the New Year holidays.

[Rozhan 0]

I don't think the staff should be slapped and verbally abused as they were just observing company policy.

 

But it shows how furious the pax were, and at such moments of anger people could not think straight.

[Keith T 2]

Must be a slow news day... this is merely standard industry practice!

[Keith T 2]

This is one thing I really agree with Air Asia's style. No refund, no overbooking. MAS should so something similiar.

 

You will then lose a lot of business pax who need the flexibility to cancel at the last minute and are willing to pay more for flexible fares, eg Y bucket.

[Radzi 2]

You will then lose a lot of business pax who need the flexibility to cancel at the last minute and are willing to pay more for flexible fares, eg Y bucket.

 

I think there is a big difference on being offloaded from a firm seat compared to standby / open ticket which time of travel is not yet determined.

 

[Keith T 2]

I think there is a big difference on being offloaded from a firm seat compared to standby / open ticket which time of travel is not yet determined.

 

By flexible fare I meant a seat that can be canceled and rebooked at will without penalty right up to boarding time. It is a 'firm' (ie, confirmed or HK) seat, just there'd be absolutely no penalty if cancelled (save for ticket re-issuing fee). This is why airlines need to overbook their flights by as much as 20% (SQ goes between -19 to -30). There would often be people who call up and cancel 2 hours before flight due to change in meeting schedules, or simply not showing up. The implication of abolishing the practise of overbooking and make all seats non-refundable is that the airline will no longer be able to sell flexible fares (a flexible economy fare can cost almost as much as restricted business class), rendering non-existent their business pax and a significant amount of yield. As i said, overbooking is a standard industry practise. Whether denied boarding or operational upgrade occurs depends on how good an airline's inventory management is.

 

And anyway, I reckon the denied boarding compensation regime is rather generous, particularly in the US where it is quite possible to make a profit out of VDB........

Edited January 9, 2007 by Keith T

[Nicholas Wan 0]

yes , i was a ex-mas ticketing officer during subang days, can you believe me , an indian flights we can over booked the flight by more than 100 seats, cos the no-show rate is so high.

[Radzi 2]

Ok guys, it is messy. I think I stick to flying planes.........

[Andrew Ong 1]

Things got so bad that several MAS ticketing staff at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) were apparently slapped and verbally abused by irate passengers.

 

"They shouted at us using foul language. Some of us were even slapped.

 

Woah, I feel so bad for the MAS check-in desk ticketing staff

[Alan B. 5]

I hope that the MH management will standby their staff and press assault charges against the pax who abused them.

[Seth K 3]

The compensation sounds good, I woud take it in no time

 

Things got so bad that several MAS ticketing staff at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) were apparently slapped and verbally abused by irate passengers.

 

"They shouted at us using foul language. Some of us were even slapped.

 

Wow!!! That violence

[haansel 0]

for what i think Malaysia Airlines Should not have leased their aircrafts .if they did not leased them this problem would not have happen

 

[Sim Lim Shen 0]

yes , i was a ex-mas ticketing officer during subang days, can you believe me , an indian flights we can over booked the flight by more than 100 seats, cos the no-show rate is so high.

For a flight of about 280pax, overbooking by 100? That sounds like crazy. Really amazing.

[Mushrif A 3]

for what i think Malaysia Airlines Should not have leased their aircrafts .if they did not leased them this problem would not have happen

 

Denied boarding has nothing to do with the aircraft being leased in/out - the flight was not cancelled because there was no aircraft to service it nor did MH substitute a 744 with a 734 to fly to LHR. Totally unrelated.

Edited January 10, 2007 by mushrif a

[haansel 0]

it is not directly but in directly .the lack of one aircraft like a 777 for example :

Mas 777 Destnations:

1.Most of austrilian hubs

2.New york

3.some Japan flights

4.most of Europe other than Rome,London,Paris(correct me if i m wrong)

 

my point is losing a 777 or a 747 to a lease can disturb the hole system.

[haansel 0]

to replace one missing aircraft Mas have to get their own aircraft .not by leasing a nother alirliners aircraft or buy a new one because the compenys situation is such.i know that they never replace a 737-400 aircraft to go to LHR.its never logic.737-400 short range la.Passangers of KUL~LHR~KUL Allways full.If MAS sends a 737-400 to LHR it will be a joke to the Airline Industry.

Edited January 10, 2007 by haansel

[haansel 0]

if the shortage of 1 aircraft can cause the first 283 passangers disapointment and started a chain reaction.i m know that there was no flight was canceled dew to a missisng aircraft. but if the aircraft was indeed there maters would have been solved.there would b seats there.no off loded passangers or kicked off.