Now Not everyone can fly..a letter to Tony Fernandes

I took Air Asia X flight on my way back to Malaysia last month because I've been wanting to fly with Air Asia X in order to support our own Low Cost Carrier company. I have experienced quite a bad flight journey with their staff and customer service. 

I was thinking to share it in my blog so that friends and family (especially those who travels with baby/child) that are going to use Air Asia X in the future; are well-prepared to face the same condition that I've went through. So for those who are interested to know about my experience, kindly read this letter of complaint from me to Air Asia X.

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Mr Tony Fernandes

CEO, Air Asia

LCC Terminal, Jalan KLIA S3, Southern Support Zone
Kuala Lumpur International Airport 64000 Sepang,
Selangor Darul Ehsan                                                                      19 November 2011

Dear Mr Tony,  I was a passenger on one of  your flight (together with my son and my sister in law) from Tokyo Haneda (HND) to Kuala Lumpur (KUL) on 17th November 2011 (Flight D7 523). Forgive me for writing directly to you, but I feel you personally need to know exactly how badly your customers were treated by your front-line staff so you can take appropriate remedial action.

(1) Before On-Board

My rough experiences with your staff begin at the check-in counter. I was told that I can’t bring my child’s stroller up to the aircraft door/steps. I used to fly with several other airlines to go to Malaysia such as Malaysia Airlines (MAS), Korea Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Thai Airways before this and all of these airlines allow me to bring my child’s stroller up to the aircraft door/steps for international flight.

I have even checked in the Air Asia website, and it is stated that “You can continue to use the stroller up to the aircraft door/steps”. So I told your counter staff politely about it, and then they look at my son and told me that “he can walk, he don’t need a stroller”. If it is so, why I couldn’t find any clause in your website stating that as one of the criteria to bring along the stroller?.

+- information provided in the Air Asia website -+

Then your ‘not-so-friendly’ counter staff insisted that I checked in the stroller as luggage and pay for the extra weight caused by check-in the stroller. Again I remembered that I’ve check about it in your website and it is stated that “we allow baby buggies/strollers/prams to be carried free of charge”. When I told this politely to the counter staff, she replied with irritating voice and says “Either you pay or you throw it!".

 +- information provided in the Air Asia website -+

So in the end I was ‘forced’ to pay extra 9kg which cost me 18000 yen (2000 yen per kg) as I don’t want to throw away my child’s brand new Recaro stroller.

*18 000yen = RM 735*

After that my family and I was waiting patiently to be on board into the flight D7 523 when the delay announcement was announced due to bad weather. These things happen, I do not complain about the weather as I do understand that some things are beyond anyone’s control. After all, a flight delay case has become one of Air Asia’s ‘trademarks’; so I’m fine with that.

 +- my son and his friends; waiting eagerly to get on board -+

(2) On the plane

After getting on board, we were greeted by ‘not-so-friendly’ cabin crews. Is it that hard for them to smile to your customers?. The plane is ready to take-off, things are going well. I thought so far so good but this is what happened next :

•   Sticky chewing-gum on the in-flight sales magazine; tell me how can I browse through the pages and buy the items when I feel gross to turn over to the next pages?. Aren't your staffs are supposed to check the magazine before putting it into the pocket?.

 

 +- sticky chewing gum -+

  

+- in-flight entertainment tab -+

•   Crumpling page on the back page of the magazine where the QRReader code was displayed. Tell me how am I supposed to scan it with my iPhone when it is in that condition?. 

 

+- unable to scan QR code due to the crumpled page -+

• I pre-book meal in my ticket booking but I don’t know whether a drink is provided with the meal. So I ask politely to the cabin crew and she replied with annoying voice and says “we only give mineral water!”. Is it that difficult for your cabin crew to reply politely to your customer?. Can’t she just tell me nicely if I want drinks, I have to pay for it as you only provide mineral water?. I don’t mind to pay for the drinks but I do mind paying for a flight ticket that gives me bad customer service

 +- my pre-booked meal with the paid-on-board drinks -+

(3) After landing

We arrived at LCCT airport, Kuala Lumpur at 6.30 a.m. For parents travelling with baby and toddler; we will usually encounter several difficulties to handle our child as they were already tired during the long haul journey, jetlag due to time difference, hungry baby and it all end up with one grumpy little child. 

That’s when a stroller become the ultimate aid as we can put our child on it and hang our carry-on bags to the stroller and then only we can proceed to comfort the child.

+- before take-off -+

 +- during take-off -+

+- still sleeping even after the touch-down -+

Unfortunately I am not able to comfort my son after the long flight journey because this is what happened next :

•   I have to focus on carrying the hand luggage down the steps in front of the aircraft door; went up the steps again to get my child and all of these are done without any help from your cabin crew or your ground staff.
• We have to walk on the airport pavement for 1-2 km as the plane was parked far away from the terminal door. I have to carry my hand luggage and carry my son and walk quite far; what a great early morning exercise. I was thinking, “wouldn’t it be nice if I have my child’s stroller with me so that I don’t have to carry my 12kg son on my hip and carry my 7kg luggage on my hand as well as carrying 3kg laptop bag on my shoulder?”. 
•  It is quite dangerous walking on the airport pavement near to the taxiway and runway with my child; what with the airplane around; with the ground equipment stuffs are all over the place; with the runway transport and luggage transport moving here and there without any gate barrier or even a mobile temporary gate along the walk from the plane to the terminal door. 
• What make it even more dangerous is that only one staff is showing the right way to go while your other ground staffs seems very busy talking to each other on the drama episodes they watch last night (I overheard them talking). It will be much safer if I can put my son on his stroller. In the end, even if my child can already walk I still have to carry him on my hip because I don’t want to be worried that he might be hit by the ground transport on the airport pavement while walking/running on the runway.

      +- information provided in the Air Asia website -+

 

(4) At the terminal

I picked up my luggage and headed through the arrival gate. But before that, I went to toilet but unfortunately I am not being able to do anything there because the toilet inside the terminal is too dirty and smells so bad.

I went to baby room to change my son’s diaper and the same condition occurs at the baby room. The room is smelly and soaked disposable diapers are all over the place because the bin is full. Like it or not, I have to change my child’s diapers and bring home my son’s soaked disposable diapers.

These bad experiences with your flight and airport services leave me with this 6 questions:

• Does Air Asia X have any protocol in place for staff to follow the information provided in your website and also to treat your polite customers nicely?

• If you do have a protocol, does the response I describe above fit with it? In particular are your staffs allowed to ask passenger to make payment for the items that are free to check in and direct passengers to make the payment rather than help them nicely?

• Can I get the refund on the payment that I have been 'forced' to make for my child's stroller?.

• Do you condone staff rudeness to passengers, and are they ever allowed to replied impolitely to the request made politely by the passenger? 

• Why is it that the information given in your website is not so useful as it is not the same with the one at the check-in counter?

•   Do you consider it is safe for the passengers to walk on the airport pavement without even putting clear signs on which way to go, or putting any barrier to show the limits to the boundary area that passenger can’t step in?

I am waiting for the answers to these questions because the experiences that I encounter during my flight with you are totally different with what you promised in your website. One of Air Asia X values is to offer “Low Fare, No Frills: Providing guests with the choice of customizing services without compromising on quality and services”.  

Unfortunately, as your passenger, I feel that your quality of customer service and safety is quite bad.  I would like to know if in addition to being a low-cost airline, Air Asia X is a low-service airline and a low-courtesy airline. If it is, I will make my future travel choices accordingly, and ensure that my friends and family do likewise.

I await your response.

Yours faithfully;

A frustrated D7 523 passengers.

(MSc in European Master Studies in Aeronautics and Space Technology)

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Pssssttt : Mr Tony, if you read this I will gladly post any reply you choose to send. I await for your response.

 ## other passengers complaints that I found regarding to Air Asia service --> AirAsia, never again?

 

~ Thanks for reading this (^-*) ~