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MAVCOM Receives Lower Complaints in 1H2019
Resolves up to 99.3 per cent of complaints

KUALA LUMPUR, 18 SEPTEMBER 2019 – The Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM) has released its sixth bi-annual Consumer Report for the period of 1 January 2019 to 30 June 2019. With the release of the report, the Commission observed a drop in the number of complaints registered in comparison to the report from the corresponding period last year.

The report highlighted a total of 810 complaints registered with MAVCOM during the first half of 2019, a 5.6 per cent reduction from 858 complaints lodged during the first half of 2018. Of the 810 complaints, 798 were lodged against airlines while 12 were lodged against airports.

MAVCOM successfully resolved and closed 99.3 per cent of the complaints, of which Malaysia Airlines was the highest contributor to the total complaints received, followed by AirAsia and Malindo Air. 

The Commission also received 646 complaints where document submission by consumers were incomplete, hence resulting in complaints which could not be fairly evaluated; 120 complaints where MAVCOM’s immediate assessment discovered that the airline or airport concerned had fulfilled their obligations under the Malaysian Aviation Consumer Protection Code 2016 (MACPC), therefore were not taken further, as well as 68 complaints that were either more than one year from the date of incident, beyond the scope of the MACPC, subsequently withdrawn, or not related to the aviation industry.

The Report also takes note that 54 per cent of complaints received during the half year period of 1 January 2019 to 30 June 2019 resulted in the airlines reversing its initial decision and producing a resolution that is more equitable or satisfactory to the consumer than initially provided.

Dr. Nungsari Ahmad Radhi, Executive Chairman of MAVCOM, said, “MAVCOM was established with the purpose of protecting consumer rights, and our objective is to foster and promote a civil aviation industry that is consumer-oriented, whilst supporting the nation’s economic growth. The reduction of the complaints is an indication of progress as it reflects on the service received by the consumers from aviation service providers. While the Consumer Report is an area that we review and analyse to obtain a perspective on the level of service to consumers by airlines and airport operators, our on-going efforts such as the amendment of the MACPC and implementation of the Airports Quality of Service (QoS) Framework has also contributed to a better experience for consumers.”

Key Highlights of the Consumer Report 

Consumer complaints by airlines showed that Malaysia Airlines was the highest recipient, with 413 complaints lodged against the airline from 1 January 2019 to 30 June 2019. This, however, is a decrease from the 427 complaints received by the airline during the corresponding period in 2018.

The second and third highest recipient were AirAsia and Malindo Air with 183 and 103 complaints respectively, in which the former recorded a 4.7 per cent decrease whilst the latter a 13.4 per cent decrease compared to the previous period.

Mishandled baggage, processing of refunds and online booking were the top three complaint categories, making up 48.2 per cent in total. On the other hand, complaint categories by airport were mainly concerning airport facilities, airport security, and customer service.

“With the release of our sixth Consumer Report, we hope for aviation industry players to be mindful of the feedback provided by consumers and work towards contributing to a more positive experience for consumers,” added Dr. Nungsari.

“Further to this, we are currently working towards introducing a consumer code specially for Short take-off and landing ports (STOLports), as we are cognisant of the differences STOLports possess compared to other airports. MAVCOM aims to ensure users of STOLports will be provided with an appropriate level of consumer protection taking into consideration the unique circumstances existing at STOLports,” concluded Dr. Nungsari.

In addition to a comprehensive review of complaints lodged with MAVCOM, the report also featured the Commission’s other on-going initiatives to heighten consumer rights. This includes amendments to the MACPC, enforced on 1 June 2019. Amendments entail full disclosure of airfare at the point of advertisement and payment where hidden charges are eliminated, as well as the necessity for refunds to consumers by airlines to be made within 30 days.

As part of its continuous efforts to ensure passengers’ comfort at airports nationwide, the Commission has also extended the development of its Airports QoS Framework to three other airports – Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport (SZB), Langkawi International Airport (LGK), and Kota Kinabalu International Airport (BKI) – which began during the fourth quarter of 2018. The Commission targets to implement the evaluation by the first quarter of 2020.

The Consumer Report is available on MAVCOM’s website at www.mavcom.my. MAVCOM’s Consumer Reports is released on a bi-annual basis by MAVCOM. 

The full report is available as a PDF here.