Mavcom: Complaints up 92% in March to August from a year ago

PETALING JAYA: Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) has received a total of 677 complaints for the six-month period from March to August 2017, an increase of 92% complaints compared to the same period last year.
In a statement today, its executive chairman, Tan Sri Abdullah Ahmad, said the rise in complaints lodged indicates the growing awareness among air travellers of their rights as consumers.
Overall, the commission said it received an average of 17 complaints for every one million passengers. Based on its second Consumer Report, Mavcom said Malaysia Airlines was highlighted as having the most number of complaints, followed by Malindo Air and AirAsia.
“Notably, while both Malaysia Airlines and Malindo Air saw more than double the number of complaints, cases filed against AirAsia dropped by 9.8% compared to the corresponding period in the previous year,” it noted.
The top three categories of complaints filed were refunds, mishandled baggage and flight delays, which collectively made up 62.6% of total complaints.
As for airports, Mavcom said the total number of complaints remained minimal, noting it received complaints pertaining to facilities provided at the airports.
Mavcom, which commenced operations on March 1, 2016, regulates economic and commercial matters related to civil aviation in Malaysia.