KUALA LUMPUR: Consumer complaints against airlines and airports have fallen 59.1 per cent in the first half of 2021 (1H21) compared to the same period last year with a total of 157 complaints being submitted to the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom).
Mavcom said of the 157 complaints, 98.1 per cent were regarding airlines, while 1.9 per cent were related to airports.
"Complaints against AirAsia represented 41.4 per cent of the total complaints filed with the Commission, followed by Malaysia Airlines at 28.7 per cent and Malindo Air at 12.1 per cent.
"All airlines, except Firefly Airlines, observed a drop in the number of complaints filed with Mavcom, corresponding with a decrease in the number of passengers carried," it said.
According to Mavcom, 60.1 per cent of the complaints resulted in airlines reversing their initial decisions by providing resolutions that are more equitable or satisfactory to the consumers, reflecting a 2.3 percentage point increase compared to 2020.
Mavcom resolved 97.5 per cent of the complaints received within the six-month period, while 82 of the complaints were non-actionable due to incomplete documentation by consumers, complaints falling beyond the scope of the Malaysian Aviation Consumer Protection Code 2016 (MACPC) or complaints being filed over a year from the date of the incident.
Resolved complaints included those related to refunds, frequent flyer programmes and flight cancellations.
At the same time, Mavcom said a total of 675 Covid-19 related refund requests were submitted to it in the first half.
In addition to resolving consumer complaints and requests, Mavcom looks to improve education on air travel rights and provide further improvements to increase consumer convenience, as well as the implementation of the Airports Quality of Service (QoS) Framework.
Mavcom executive chairman Datuk Seri Saripuddin Kasim said the growth of the cargo sector had been a silver lining for the aviation industry during the pandemic.
"We are pleased to be able to resolve 97.5 per cent of complaints and approve all ATRs requested, which indicates our continued dedication to both consumers and industry players alike.
"With the ballooning demand for e-commerce coupled with reduced belly space cargo capacity thrusting the cargo sector globally forward, we will continue to support local players to take advantage of the prospects ahead.
"As air travel resumes, the commission looks forward to further improving its efforts in protecting the rights of consumers and supporting aviation industry players in their post-pandemic recovery," said Saripuddin.