KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians stranded in Bali, Indonesia, following the eruption of Mount Agung will be able to leave soon with the rescheduling of flight by the airlines.
Eric Tang, a Malaysian tourist, said he received an email from AirAsia informing him that his flight had been rescheduled and he could travel back home soon.
“I was notified that my flight was rescheduled to Nov 30 and the flight will depart at 1.30 pm.
“I will directly fly back home to Kuala Lumpur from Bali airport tomorrow. I do not regret my decision to stay at the airport until the condition became better.
“As the Bali airport re-opened today, I believe I can travel back home in a safer condition.
“I am also covered by travel insurance so it should not be a problem for me ,” he said.
Another passenger, Cuzario David, on the other hand, was surprised when he got a refund of an airline ticket even though he had no travel insurance.
“I was at the airport at 8am today to fix my outbound flight.
“When I arrived, there were about 20 people queueing ahead of me, but I managed to get a flight out on Friday afternoon.
“I am not covered by travel insurance, yet I did not need to pay a single sen for the change of itinerary.
“The whole process was pretty smooth and it was done in less than 10 minutes,” he said, adding that Airasia had upgraded him from AirAsia (AK) to AirAsia X (D7) flight.
Federation of Malaysian Consumer Associations (FOMCA) deputy president Mohd Yusof Abdul Rahman said passengers stranded in Ngurah Rai Airport in Denpasar, Bali, should be compensated adequately.
“Every airline passenger has the right to full refund on their tickets in case of flight cancellation due to natural disasters.
“Passengers are not guilty and natural disasters is are not something we can control.
“Airlines should do their best and ensure that every Malaysian can get back home safely."
Volcanic ash from Mount Agung, which has been recorded at the airport in Denpasar, saw more than 440 flights cancelled on Monday, and another 440 flights cancelled on Tuesday, affecting nearly 60,000 inbound and outbound travellers.