SHAH ALAM - MYAirline passengers are frustrated as the airline's abrupt suspension disrupts travel plans, prompting calls for swift refunds and transparency in the process.
MYAirline passenger Zafira Anwar, 35, who had purchased return tickets for Kota Kinabalu and Langkawi said she was shocked to hear the announcement of the low-cost carrier’s suspension on the news, today.
The head of corporate communications said because of the matter, her travel plans were affected.
The impact, she said was beyond the flight cost as the suspension has also affected her hotel bookings in both places she had planned to travel to.
Zafira said the airline company should have notified all the passengers before suspending its operations regardless of whether the tickets were purchased directly through the airline or online travel agencies.
"I was shocked upon hearing the news on the radio during my morning commute to work. Initially, I thought I had misheard the announcer until I received a text message from my boss, who shared a news article about the suspension in our company's WhatsApp group.
"I had plans to fly to Kota Kinabalu to attend my friend's wedding reception on Oct 28. My departure was scheduled from Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2) on Oct 27 and return to Kuala Lumpur on Oct 30.
"For Langkawi, I had a flight scheduled for Nov 11 over the long Deepavali weekend.
"It was difficult to digest the news, especially since I had recently taken my first MYAirline flight to Penang on Sept 29 and was quite impressed with their operations and services,” she told Sinar Daily.
She added that she purchased the Kota Kinabalu ticket earlier this month and the Langkawi ticket in July.
Zafira said she hoped for a quick and transparent process for her refund request.
"Frankly, I am still in the dark about the refund process as I have not received any email regarding the announcement.
"The company should have, before halting operations, sent emails to all passengers with upcoming affected trips.
"I don't want to speculate on the situation or cast aspersions on the company. However, since we have not received any formal communication from the company itself, we can only rely on news outlets and social media, like X, for updates,” she said when contacted.
She said the best course of action for those who purchased MyAirline tickets was to follow Malaysian Aviation Commission’s (Mavcom) advice and email its customer care service to inquire about the refund process.
"Then, they should wait and hope for the best. If their concerns are not addressed, affected passengers should consider filing a report with the relevant authorities who may be able to assist in obtaining a refund,” she said.
A netizen who was also a MYAirline passenger also expressed frustration over the suspension as her flight was affected today.
X user @puteriibalqiis said she arrived at KLIA at 4am for her flight that was scheduled at 7.30am only to find that all MYAirline counters were unattended and closed.
"They were all empty. The passengers were all waiting like idiots.
"Please refund me. I was forced to buy a ticket to return to Kota Kinabalu urgently. Many others have been affected like me, even (the elderly).
"I rarely tweet in anger, but I was speechless because they didn’t inform us about this at all. There were no staffers and their offices were empty.
"Imagine how the passengers were looking around like fools early in the morning asking about their flight,” she wrote.
Another X user, @abd_jabbar said following MYAirline's suspension, he has now encountered issues with two airlines, resulting in financial losses due to flights that were ultimately cancelled.
"I was already betrayed by Rayani Air in 2016. Nobody ever got a refund despite sending emails and making calls.
"I still remember the trauma to this day, but never mind, it’s already been seven years. But now in 2023, I’ve been affected again by MYAirline. It seems that I’ve lost RM229. Total loss (including with Rayani Air): RM1,189," he wrote
MYAirline Sdn Bhd suspended its operations effective today until further notice due to significant financial pressures.
"We deeply regret and apologise for having to make this decision as we understand the impact it will have on our loyal passengers, dedicated employees and partners.
"We have worked tirelessly to explore various partnership and capital-raising options to prevent this suspension. Unfortunately, the constraints of time have left us with no alternative but to take this decision,” its board of directors said in a statement, today.