KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) does not anticipate the changes made to the Malaysian Aviation Consumer Protection Code 2016 (MACPC) will result in higher airfares.
Mavcom consumer and public affairs director Pushpalatha Subramaniam does not foresee these improvements leading to significant costs for airlines.
“However, if there are many disruptions, there will undoubtedly be increased costs, so airlines need to manage this effectively.
“We monitor the prices of all domestic flight tickets and present this information to the transport minister
every month,“ she said at a media briefing on the MACPC enhancements at Mavcom’s headquarters here today.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced the enhancements to the MACPC on Aug 28, which were gazetted today.
Among the improvements are requirements that airlines offer refund options if a flight is delayed by more than five hours and the passenger opts not to continue the journey. The refund needs to be processed within 30 days.
Pushpalatha said that within 30 days, airlines are urged to resolve 90% of the complaints received.
She clarified that starting today, airlines must offer refunds in the original form of payment as the first option to passengers. “This applies in flight disruptions due to bad weather, safety risks, or other unavoidable factors. Before this amendment, airlines were not required to refund passengers,“ she said.
According to Pushpalatha, the amendment also mandates airlines to adjust flight schedules within two weeks of the departure date, except in extraordinary circumstances or due to technical reasons.
“Additionally, passengers will now enjoy extra protection, such as mandatory refunds for fuel surcharges, charges, and fees unrelated to non-refundable tickets. Airlines are also required to remove cancelled flights from all booking platforms immediately,“ she said.
Pushpalatha noted that Mavcom had previously made cost-related improvements in 2019, and this is the second round of enhancements since the MACPC was introduced in 2016.
“Before these latest enhancements, we held five consultation sessions with industry players and the public before finalising the changes. The MACPC applies in the event of flight disruptions in Malaysia involving all airlines, including foreign airlines operating in and out of the country,“ she said.
