Take heed of consumers’ complaints, Mavcom tells airlines

 

The highest number of complaints received by Mavcom in the first half of 2022 was against AirAsia, at 42.1% of the total reports filed. (AP pic)

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) has advised the aviation industry to take heed of complaints from consumers, especially with air travel getting back to pre-pandemic levels.

Mavcom executive chairman Saripuddin Kasim said the commission received 1,251 complaints in the first half of 2022, an almost eight-fold increase compared with the 157 lodged during the same period last year.

At that point in time, Malaysia’s international borders were still closed.

He said 99.1% of complaints were against airlines with the rest being about airports in the country. He added that 87.9% of complaints have been resolved.

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“Between January and June this year, the number of complaints against AirAsia was the highest, making up 42.1% of the complaints we received. This was followed by Malaysia Airlines with 40.7% and Batik Air with 7.95%.

“Flight rescheduling, flight cancellations, and online booking collectively contributed to 46.1% of total complaints filed,” he said in a statement.

As a proactive measure, Saripuddin said Mavcom has been actively engaging aviation service providers to ensure that relevant issues were being addressed.

“Additionally, Mavcom is working towards the enhancement of the Malaysian Aviation Consumer Protection Code 2016 to further protect air travellers, and will continue to empower them to exercise their rights.”

Saripuddin said Mavcom will continue to monitor the challenges faced by the industry, resulting from the increase in fuel prices as well as operational and resource constraints that affect consumers and the industry.

“To this end, the commission continues to engage with industry players to facilitate a strong and sustainable aviation sector.” - FMT