Mr Loke, ready for an incognito ride on Malaysia Airlines?

 

­­I had to go for a work trip this week to Bangkok, Thailand. After a three-year hiatus, it was my first trip back. It was exciting, and I was so looking forward to it.

The client who hired me, paid for all expenses, and I could travel on business class. As practised before, they didn’t specify which airline I should fly, and left it to me to decide.

Realistically I could select either Malaysia Airlines (MH) or Thai Airways (TG).

To be honest, after my last Nasi Lemak debacle with MH earlier this year which I wrote about here, I did think long and hard about whether I should fly with them again.

In my experience, TG from our neighbour up north is usually a chic option, especially with their outstanding business class. They operate wide-body or twin-aisle aircraft to Bangkok from Kuala Lumpur, with a superior cabin that is luxurious, and plush.

Whenever I’ve flown TG over the past 20 years, they have never let me down. On both regional and trans-continental flights, their service is fantastic.

Their cabin crew are always attentive, gracious, and gentle in dealing with customers. The aircraft’s inflight entertainment system comes with large screens and an extensive selection of movies and such. With the same available for economy class, too.

And, the food on TG is always top notch. Let’s just say I have yet to have a bad meal with them. The best part about flying business class on TG is when you get on board, even for the short hop to Bangkok, you’ll get warm nuts.

Now how about the price, I hear you ask? Price-wise, both MH and TG are comparable, with TG actually being a tad cheaper at times.

So, I chose to fly with TG, right? Nope!

Call me a sucker for giving repeated chances to my national carrier, but once again, my nationalistic fervour triumphed, and I booked to fly with MH.

The check-in process and the short stop at the lounge was pleasant. About thirty minutes before departure, I asked the staff at the lounge whether it was time for me to head off to the gate.

The staff had a rummage on the computer and confirmed that I should make my way to the gate immediately, as boarding had started. So, I headed off briskly.

When I got into the boarding area, it was about twenty minutes before the scheduled departure, but nothing was happening. About five minutes before our scheduled departure time, it suddenly occurred to me that they still hadn’t called us to board the airplane.

Then I looked out and saw that there was no MH plane in sight at the gate. Concerned that I needed to inform my client of delays, I went up to the officer in charge to inquire about when they planned for us to take-off.

As I was asking him, I received an SMS alert on my phone, just saying that my flight “now departs at 5.20pm”, which was an hour later than scheduled.

The delay per se is absolutely understandable. The rainy season makes it more likely for delays to happen. And, no one can control the rain, save for ‘bomohs’.

Eventually, we boarded at 5.20pm, and finally departed at 6pm. The captain said the aircraft was delayed coming in from Penang, and as usual everyone just accepted his word for it.

What was totally unacceptable though was the state of the aircraft.

Shouldn’t our national airline at least be able to compete with the airlines of our neighbours, Thailand and Singapore? In business class, there was no entertainment, no leg rest, and the recline was measly. Can you imagine then the state of economy class?

MH seems to have the same business class seats from 30 years ago.

Here’s a heads up for you. If you fly business on a narrow-bodied, regional flight on MH, please don’t choose seat 2A. Ironically, this is the seat that gets served last during the meals. Go figure! Only the ‘God of Systems’ might be able to answer this conundrum.

And, heaven forbid if they actually have enough food of your choice. Even with only eight business class seats they can’t get their act together to have enough choices for all the premium paying customers. So much for Malaysian hospitality!

Not only was there no inflight entertainment, there weren’t even portable devices made available like some airlines with older aircraft offer. Anyways, who needs an entertainment system on a flight, when we all have our own devices, right? Perhaps that’s why MH hasn’t bothered to upgrade. Or, is it simply years of mismanagement?

When we landed in Bangkok, a crew member announced this: “Thank you for flying Malaysia Airlines, and we hope you’ve enjoyed our Malaysian hospitality.”

After such an underwhelming flight, this declaration just felt like a terrible joke!

By the way, Thai Airways didn’t pay me to write this.

I am berating our ‘beloved’ airline. But please don’t simply get wound up about my take on our national carrier. What needs to be said has to be said. Perhaps, instead of getting irritated with me, if everyone demands that we bring Malaysia Airlines back to its glory days, it will be a win for Malaysia.

Maybe our hardworking and keen-eyed transport minister, Loke Siew Fook, should take an unannounced flight on MH and experience things first-hand. Then they might change. Because ultimately, Malaysia Airlines is our national heritage.

Side bar: Mr Loke, if you are reading this, please sir, on a more selfish but nostalgic note, can we bring the Penang ferries back. Growing up in Penang, my first declared ambition at school aged 11, was to be the ‘driver’ of the Pulau Talang-Talang ferry. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.