No News Is Bad News

Not only MAS (Mana Ada Sistem), national airline is now super arrogant

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 8, 2023: After 75 years in operation, national airline MAS continues to live up to its dubious reputation of Mana Ada Sistem (Where Got System).

And today, one can add “arrogant services” to that reputation.

May 1, 1947, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur

The airline began as Malayan Airways Limited, and flew its first commercial flight in 1947. It was then renamed as Malaysian Airways after the formation of the Federation of Malaysia in 1963. In 1966, the airline was renamed Malaysia Singapore Airlines (MSA) and in 1972 Malaysian Airline System (MAS).

MAS passengers who recently found themselves stranded at the Mumbai International Airport in India for up to 57 hours have expressed outrage over the carrier’s management of the situation, describing their experience as “truly unbelievable” and “a nightmare”.

One of them, who asked to remain anonymous, said MAS and the Indian immigration authorities were trading blame for the chaos.

She said MAS did not provide any updates for passengers throughout the episode and that some were not even informed when they were booked onto other flights.

The woman, a professional in the international education industry, added that to date, neither she nor any of the other passengers she was in touch with had received a response from MAS.

That’s pure arrogance for you, ala MAS (Mana Ada Sistem).

No News Is Bad News reproduces below related news reports on MAS’ shoddy services:

Stranded in Mumbai: MAS passengers slam ‘nightmare experience’

They say Malaysia Airlines did not provide any updates for passengers and, in some instances, had to be pressured into taking action.

Sean Augustin and Elill Easwaran - 08 Dec 2023, 10:15am

Passengers on Malaysia Airlines flight MH165 wait in frustration in front of the carrier’s counter at the Mumbai International Airport after their flight was diverted to Mumbai.

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia Airlines (MAS) passengers who recently found themselves stranded at the Mumbai International Airport in India for up to 57 hours have expressed outrage over the carrier’s management of the situation, describing their experience as “truly unbelievable” and “a nightmare”.

One of them, who asked to remain anonymous, said MAS and the Indian immigration authorities were trading blame for the chaos.

She said MAS did not provide any updates for passengers throughout the episode and that some were not even informed when they were booked onto other flights.

The woman, a professional in the international education industry, added that to date, neither she nor any of the other passengers she was in touch with had received a response from MAS.

“Communication was the main problem here,” she told FMT, adding that it had been “a truly unbelievable experience”.

Malaysia Airlines flight MH165, enroute from London to Kuala Lumpur, was diverted to Mumbai on Nov 23 following a layover in Doha due to “unforeseen technical issues”.

In a statement, the airline said passengers were provided with accommodation, meals and transport while officials worked to resolve the matter.

It also attributed the delays to “the need to adhere to local immigration

policies in Mumbai”.

A passenger attends to a woman who fainted from stress after being stranded in the airport in Mumbai for over 10 hours.

‘A lot of confusion’

Speaking to FMT, Sheela June Flaminia Naidu, from Italy, said it had been a “nightmare” experience.

She, too, complained of a lack of updates, saying whatever information she had was from other passengers who had decided to help each other out.

She said that a lack of WiFi at the airport had also made it impossible to contact MAS on Nov 24.

While passengers were given WiFi access the following day, she added that this was only for 45 minutes.

“There was a lot of confusion,” she said when contacted.

“With no information forthcoming, we began to panic after waiting for a few hours on the plane, then the bus and (inside) the airport.”

Naidu, who had been travelling to Malaysia with her family for a holiday, said that no one from MAS had come forward to reassure the passengers or provide any updates after the flight landed in Mumbai.

Eventually, two representatives from the airline came to the immigration department, she said. But even then, they provided little information, emphasising that MAS was limited by Indian law, she added.

According to Naidu, she had contacted MAS to enquire about compensation, however, she has still not received any response.

‘Would not fly again’

Another passenger who spoke on condition of anonymity said no explanation was given except by the pilot who cited “technical issues” for diverting the flight.

The software engineer from Cape Town, South Africa, was stranded for 12 hours at the airport alone but said none of the MAS personnel there came forward with any solutions.

Even for food and water, he said the passengers had to ask before any was provided.

“We were given one 500ml bottle of water each during the entire time,” the father of two said.

“Some passengers gave us chips and sweets for our kids. The food provided was substandard, and we all felt ill so we didn’t eat.”

Describing the ordeal as exhausting, he said it had been the last straw.

“It was not my first time with MAS, but it was the first time I’d experienced anything like this. I will not be flying with MAS again,” he said, adding that he was considering lodging a formal complaint.

Another passenger, Naomi Alexander, said there had been very little communication, and that even this was “confusing and inconsistent”.

She added that 16 passengers were barred from entering India due to their Pakistani, Somali or Nigerian origin, according to MAS and the Indian authorities.

She said these passengers had been “trapped” in the transit area for the duration of the ordeal, with five children in the group falling sick.

“MAS said nothing to them until they were pressured by other customers,” she said.

“They left them there for around 18 hours with zero communication.”

According to Naomi, MAS had not been forthcoming with information and only provided any after being pressured by the passengers.

Meals, although given, were only provided “after a very long time”, she said, adding that some passengers had not received anything to eat until they arrived at the hotel while others were only fed at midnight.

She said the 16 passengers in the transit area were only given food at 2am.

“I was very sad, angry and frustrated that these passengers were treated this way,” she added.

While MAS was not responsible for India’s immigration rules, she said, it was unacceptable that no extra care, support or communication was offered to these passengers “who were in a much worse and more frightening situation than the rest of us”.

When contacted, a spokesman for MAS said the airline was simply adhering to the requirements of the Indian immigration department, citing an earlier statement shared with FMT.

On the passengers’ other grouses, the spokesman said it was better for MAS to communicate directly with them and address their claims and compensation.

Monday 27 November 2023

MH370 victims want Anwar to search for missing MAS jet on a ‘no find, no fee’ basis

No News Is Bad News

One of the many useless uninformative media conferences staged by the then Malaysian government and civil aviation officials. Will Anwar ignore the revived issue of a search for the missing MH370 aircraft?

MH370 victims want Anwar to search for missing MAS jet on a ‘no find, no fee’ basis

KUALA LUMPUR, Non 27, 2023: As a Beijing court began hearing MH370 “air crash” victims’ fresh appeal today for compensation, they have also released an open letter to Malaysia’s 10^th Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

They are appealing to Anwar’s so-called Madani Unity Government to launch a new search for the missing MAS aircraft on a “no find, no fee” basis.

To date, more than 40 families have filed lawsuits against Malaysia Airlines, the aircraft manufacturer Boeing, engine maker Rolls Royce and Allianz insurance group, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

The MH370 jet vanished on March 8, 2014, carrying 239 people – mostly from China – en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Will Anwar and his UG respond positively to their appeal which also affect Malaysian victims.

No News Is Bad News reproduces below aa AFP news report from Beijing:

Families of MH370 victims in China call for new search

The families released an open letter to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim calling for a new search for the missing Malaysia Airlines aircraft on a ‘no find, no fee’ basis.

AFP - 27 Nov 2023, 7:04pm

Jiang Hui (center) whose mother was on the missing MH370, speaks to journalists in Beijing after a court began compensation hearings. (AP pic)

BEIJING: Relatives of dozens of Chinese passengers on board a Malaysia Airlines plane which disappeared almost 10 years ago today called for a new investigation, as a Beijing court began hearing their fresh appeal for compensation.

The MH370 jet vanished on March 8, 2014, carrying 239 people – mostly from China – en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

More than 40 families have filed lawsuits against Malaysia Airlines, the aircraft manufacturer Boeing, engine maker Rolls Royce and Allianz insurance group, state broadcaster CCTV said.

The families’ litigation requests focus on compensation and finding the truth behind the flight’s disappearance, according to Zhang Qihuai, a lawyer quoted by CCTV.

Hardly any trace of the plane was found in a 120,000-square kilometre Indian Ocean search zone, with only some pieces of debris picked up.

The Australian-led operation, the largest in aviation history, was suspended in January 2017.

The families on Monday released an open letter addressed to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim calling for a new search for the missing aircraft on a “no find, no fee” basis.

“Our family members hope to search for flight MH370 on our own,” the letter said, adding “family members are willing to invest their own money or cooperate with capable individuals and companies”.

They asked for “effective communication” with the Malaysian government to kick off a new hunt.

Outside the court, many relatives were on the verge of tears as they recounted stories of their loved ones, some holding pieces of paper saying “restart the search” and “open, fair, impartial”.

Bao Lanfang lost her son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter in the disaster, and her husband died last year.

“Personally, I do not care about the monetary compensation,” the 71-year-old told the media.

“What I want is that Malaysia Airlines gives me the truth. What happened to our loved ones?

“What I want now is for them to resume the search and the investigation.”

Malaysia’s transport ministry and Malaysia Airlines both declined to comment on the hearings.

China’s foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Beijing “attaches great importance to the follow-up work” into MH370’s disappearance and “hopes that all parties will continue to maintain close communication”.

‘Unbearable’

It is unclear what jurisdiction the Chinese court has to enforce the claims for compensation against the defendants.

Each family filed for civil compensation of between 10 million yuan (US$1.4 million) and 80 million yuan (US$11.2 million), as well as moral damages of 30 million yuan (US$4.2 million) to 40 million yuan (US$5.6 million), CCTV reported.

The families of more than 110 other passengers have already reached a settlement with the defendants and received between 2.5 million and 3 million yuan, the broadcaster said.

Gathering outside the court despite freezing temperatures, relatives were keen to talk to journalists.

Jiang Hui, whose mother was on flight MH370, said the opening of the hearing was “very comforting, and it is a turning point”.

“The survival of the relatives during these 10 years, the deterioration of their living conditions… This really makes us very sad. So I hope that the legal relief can be realised as soon as possible. It is not difficult,” he said.

“Ten years have really been unbearable for us,” added Jiang.

The hearing was not listed on the court’s public website, but Jiang wrote on social media this month the court hearings would continue until mid-December.

Unsolved mystery

A US exploration firm launched a private hunt for MH370 in 2018, but it ended after several months of scouring the seabed without success.

The disappearance of the plane has long been the subject of a host of theories – ranging from the credible to outlandish – including that veteran pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah had gone rogue.

In 2016, Malaysian officials revealed the pilot had plotted a path over the Indian Ocean on a home flight simulator but stressed this did not prove he deliberately crashed the plane.

A final report into the tragedy released in 2018 pointed to failings by air traffic control and said the course of the plane was changed manually.

But they failed to come up with any firm conclusions, leaving relatives angry and disappointed.

Sunday 26 November 2023

Is MAS learning from past tragedies on safety priority?

No News Is Bad News

Is MAS learning from past tragedies on safety priority?

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 27, 2023: Let not the 239 crew and passengers who “perished” in the March 8, 2014 MH370 disappearance be forgotten.

Till today, the authorities have yet to determine the cause of the MAS jet's disappearance, why it disappeared and any negligence on the part of aviation men and officials.

And while Beijing has commenced court proceedings on compensation hearing for Chinese MH370 victims, MAS and Malaysian governments the past decades have remained mum, hoping for all to be forgotten over time.

MAS’ flight services have been blemished not only by this tragedy, but also another air crash - MH17.

MH17 was a scheduled passenger flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur that was shot down by Russian-controlled forces on July, 17, 2014, while flying over eastern Ukraine. All 283 passengers and 15 crew were killed.

MAS still has not admitted its stupidity of saving cost, risking the lives of passengers to fly over a war zone when other international airlines had decided to spend more for safety.

So much to MAS’ constant claims that safety is its top priority.

View the above video clip. A MAS flight was delayed just because Muslim extremists decided to start their prayers on board, thus preventing take-off.

Is that acceptable? Is MAS and civil aviation authorities taking the matter lightly? What happens if every passenger of different creed and religion start doing the same?

Nothing short of chaos for flight schedules, to say the least.

No News Is Bad News reproduces below a news report on the court hearings in Beijing:

Beijing court to begin compensation hearings for Chinese MH370 victims

The jet vanished on March 8, 2014, carrying 239 people en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

AFP - 27 Nov 2023, 10:40am

Hardly any trace of the plane was found in a 120,000sq km Indian Ocean search zone and the operation was suspended in January 2017. (AFP pic)

BEIJING: A Beijing court was on Monday due to begin compensation hearings for the families of Chinese victims who died on Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 which disappeared nearly 10 years ago.

The jet vanished on March 8, 2014, carrying 239 people – mostly from China – en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Hardly any trace of the plane was found in a 120,000sq km Indian Ocean search zone and the Australian-led operation, the largest in aviation history, was suspended in January 2017.

Some pieces of debris have been picked up across the Indian Ocean.

Jiang Hui, whose mother was on flight MH370, wrote on social media this month that the court hearings would begin Monday at Beijing’s People’s Court in Chaoyang district and continue until mid-December.

Beijing’s state-run China Daily has also reported the hearings, citing Jiang. The hearing was not listed on the court’s public website.

Families of the victims, as well as media, gathered outside the court on Monday morning, AFP reporters saw.

A US exploration firm launched a private hunt for MH370 in 2018, but it ended after several months of scouring the seabed without success.

The disappearance of the plane has long been the subject of a host of theories – ranging from the credible to the outlandish – including that veteran pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah had gone rogue.

In 2016, Malaysian officials revealed the pilot had plotted a path over the Indian Ocean on a home flight simulator but stressed this did not prove that he deliberately crashed the plane.

A final report into the tragedy released in 2018 pointed to failings by air traffic control and said the course of the plane was changed manually.

However, they failed to come up with any firm conclusions, leaving relatives angry and disappointed.