Skip to content
Menu
Wee Choo Keong
  • Home
  • Discussion
  • Parliament
  • About Me
  • Complaints for DBKL
  • Festive Wishes
Wee Choo Keong

Avoid airline that is not disabled friendly

Posted on January 13, 2014
The bunting at AirAsia counters should look like this,
The appropriate buntings for AirAsia!

When the allegations against AirAsia for discriminating against the disabled persons had quieten down, 6 years later AiraAsia started to charge disabled passengers RM120 for one way  and RM240 return for wheelchair services, HERE.

AirAsia’s website has clearly showed the RM60 charge for wheelchair service. Please see The Mole’s report in HERE.

Below was the reply from AirAsia where it tried to justify the RM60 for wheelchair service:

“AirAsia would like to clarify that usage of wheelchair on all AirAsia flights is complimentary for all disabled guests (OKU). Disabled guests only need to key in their OKU / disability card number during the online flight booking process and present the actual card upon check-in at the airport. They will be fully assisted from the wheelchair counter to the aircraft, and the ambulift will be used to board the disabled guest.” Please read HERE.

It has also reported by the Mole that Ministry of Transport is probing into the high charges of RM60 for wheelchair services for the disabled, HERE.

There are enough complaints about AirAsia’s poor services, problems in refunding money, flight delays and etc.  Please read in HERE.

The above reply by AirAsia was just another poor attempt by AirAsia to spin its way out of the problems. It has forgotten what it told Malaysians in 2007 with regards to disabled passengers.

After the disabled persons protested in August 2007 AirAsia was obviously under public pressures to come out with the following press statements:

On 7-8-2007 responding to protests by the disabled, low-cost carrier AirAsia said it would spend RM6mil to provide ambulifts and aisle chairs for wheelchair-bound passengers. There will be no additional cost for disabled passengers, the airline said.   Please read HERE.

In 2007 it did not define what it meant by “DISABLED” person. On 9-1-2013 it has defined disabled person as “someone with disability card number”.

In another words, to qualify for the free wheelchair service in AirAsia one had to be registered with Social Welfare Department, HERE. The elderly, pregnant women and persona with mobility problems are not qualified under its free wheelchair service.

From this we can see clearly that AirAsia will say anything when it is under pressure and when all is well it will start to do otherwise.

When one talks about “disabled persons” it includes the handicaps, elderly, pregnant women, sicks and persons with problem of mobility. The Oxford Dictionary offers the meaning of “DISABLED” as “lacking one or more physical powers, such as the ability to walk or to coordinate one’s movements.” Yours truly believes that this is the universal meaning of disabled to corporations which value its corporate’s social responsibilities to society.

MAS and Malindo Air provide its passengers with wheelchair service free of charge. There is no condition attached to it.  We should applaud MAS and Malindo Air for being disabled firendly to its spirit. Let us all support MAS and Malindo Air for being disabled friendly.  Their respective fares are very competitive these days. We must avoid at all cost airline with track record of not disabled friendly.  Please check out MAS and Malindo Air when you are planning your travel, HERE & HERE.

AEROBRIDGE IS NOT A LUXURY BUT NECESSITY

The representatives of the NGOs for the disabled showing support to the Ministry of Transport on the installation of aerobridge for KLIA2.
The representatives of the NGOs for the disabled persons showing support to the Ministry of Transport on the installation of aerobridge for KLIA2.

On 15-12-2013 Group of NGOs representing disabled persons met the then Minister of Transport YB Datuk Kong Cho Ha to welcome the decision made by Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) to install aerobridges at KLIA2 for all including people with reduced mobility, elderly, pregnant women and children. We thank MAHB for listening to and taking into consideration the voices of the people including us, persons with disabilities, in arriving at the decision. Please read HERE.

The said meeting between the then Minister of Transport and the group of disabled persons came about because AirAsia was demanding that MAHB shoud not build aerobridges for KLIA2 because aerobridges are not part of its business model.  Please read HERE, HERE & HERE.

You will recall that a few years ago Tony Fernandes had been quoted to have make public statements that AirAsia will not move from LCCT to KLIA2 and that it will move its headquarters to Jakarta.  Of course, Ms Aireen Omar, the current CEO of AirAsia had done an about turn and said that AirAsia will move to KLIA2 afterall.

It is unknown whether AirAsia headquarters is still in Jakarta or just a very small set up remains in Jakarta.  Well, when AirAsia owed airport taxes in Indonesia, its aircraft was immediately grounded, HERE.

Other airlines including MAS and Malindo used aerobridge without any complaint. The cost of aerobridge is only RM80. If one were to divide the cost per passenger it will be less than a Ringgit each. Why kick a bit fuss about aerobridge when modern airports in the world are using aerobridge for embarkation and disembarkation from aircraft.

Unlike in Malaysia, during the Sleepy Era AirAsia has the immunity to owe airport taxes to the tune of more than  RM120 million, HERE.

A pertinent question had to be asked:

Why AirAsia and/or its top executive have been so daring to take on the MAHB, indirectly the government?

May be the high ranking officers in Khazanah could assist us with the appropraite answers!

Yours truly hopes that the Ministry of Transport will strike down the wheelchair service charges of RM60 by AirAsia.

Yours truly also hope that the Ministry of Transport will walk the talk of “Rakyat DIdahulukan” by making it mandatory for all airlines to use the aerobridge when KLIA2 is in full operation in May 2014.  The Ministry of Transport must not be seen to be dancing to the tunes of AirAsia and/or Tony Fernandes.

It is of no consequence to the Ministry of Transport that aerobridge is not part of AirAsia’s business model.  But it is of the primary concern of the Ministry to put convenience and safety for all passengers before anything else. Let make our airports disabled friendly in the real sense of the words.

Related

21 thoughts on “Avoid airline that is not disabled friendly”

  1. hzj says:
    January 13, 2014 at 1:26 pm

    At the end of the day it boils down to dollar and cent. I booked air Asia for a family trip. The price discrepancy between air Asia and Malaysian airline is 4k. That’s rm four thousandsand why should I support malaysuan airline just because you hate air Asia?

    Reply
    1. omar says:
      January 13, 2014 at 4:16 pm

      well sir, it is your prerogative to use which airline you wish , after all this is a free country. your money you decide.

      Reply
    2. Anti Caj Tersembunyi says:
      January 20, 2014 at 2:21 pm

      i’m sure those do not include food and luggage. and oher services. wait until you fly.

      Reply
  2. grandmarquis says:
    January 13, 2014 at 3:34 pm

    Not only that, what about foreigners who are disabled? Obviously they do not have the card. Then Malaysia will be known as a cruel society who charges exorbitant on people simply because they are disabled.

    Reply
    1. Riduan says:
      January 13, 2014 at 4:08 pm

      Even the elderly persons, pregnant women, women with children and persons suffered from temporary immobility could not registered themselves as disabled with the Social Welfare Department. Every good corporate citizen must learn to be disabled friendly. If they are not or trying to bullshit their way around then the consumers should act against them. The world has moved to become Disabled Friendly accept AirAsia. The authority in other countries would have stopped such rediculous charges of wheelchair service.

      Reply
  3. Joseph Khoo says:
    January 13, 2014 at 3:43 pm

    We should avoid patronizing any company which is not disabled friendly. AirAsia is known for taking the passengers for granted.

    Reply
  4. Hoong says:
    January 13, 2014 at 4:40 pm

    Such business model of AirAsia will not be tolerated in the developed countries. The government through the Minister of Transport must registered its disapproval of the high service charge for wheelchair by issuing an immediate stop order to AirAsia.

    Reply
  5. Elderly Man says:
    January 13, 2014 at 5:51 pm

    Shame on your AirAsia and Tony. why are you behave in such a way to penalise the disabled.

    Reply
  6. Con Man the Pariah says:
    January 13, 2014 at 7:31 pm

    We must not tolerate a company like AirAsia. Being disabled friendly is the right thing. We all must act together. I agree with YB that we all must do our utmost to avoid flying AirAsia unless we had to other alternative. Boycott AirAsia.

    Reply
  7. Anonymous says:
    January 13, 2014 at 8:06 pm

    Most probably that Red Indian does not understand what DISABLED means! Or he pretend not to know for the sake of profits. He is only interested in money. Look at the share suap and see for yourself what he had done to screw up MAS in front of the Khazanah big boys.

    Reply
  8. Keng says:
    January 13, 2014 at 11:58 pm

    It is a clear case of discrimination by AirAsia against disabled persons. Why are the NGOs representing the disabled persons are so quiet about the service charge of RM60 for wheelchair imposed by the low caste airline?

    Reply
  9. Boycott AirAsia says:
    January 14, 2014 at 3:22 pm

    Jaya Jusco, shopping malls and even the airport provide special parking spaces for the disabled. But this low caste carrier want to penalize the disabled persons with RM60 wheelchair service charge per trip. Oi! low caste Tony WTF you are trying to do to the disabled. Society as a whole must now penalize the low caste airline by boycotting it. Only a boycott for a few months will wake up that low caste fella.

    Reply
  10. Franky says:
    January 14, 2014 at 9:38 pm

    The AirAsia’s reply on this subject clearly showed that the bunting it puts up at the airport was a mere publicity exercise for expediency. It is not sincere at all. Hence the RM60 service charge for the wheelchair. The Ministry of Transport must come down hard on AirAsia. Members of the public must also speak with one voice: boycott until it learns to respect the disabled persons. AirAsia must be made to pay for its disgusting behavior.

    I also support boycotting it. It will only learn when it hurts the pocket.

    Reply
  11. Hassan says:
    January 14, 2014 at 11:12 pm

    The government must take firm actions against AirAsia for penalising a person just because he is disabled. All countries have move towards disabled friendly. withdraw all routes that have been approved and not flown by AirAsia. I believe that Slumberjack government has approved many routes for AirAsia and many have not flown because it is not ready. The government should not be friendly to such irresponsible company.

    Reply
  12. Janet says:
    January 15, 2014 at 9:34 pm

    Look at how misleading is the banner used by AirAsia. This is typical of AirAsia. It will always take the public for a ride. Just beware when you deal with AirAsia.

    Reply
  13. jack1960 says:
    January 16, 2014 at 1:34 pm

    AK at KLIA 2

    YB, question now is whether AAsia will be paying the aerobridge charges at KLIA 2 or will they continue to delay or avoid paying as history would suggest. Secondly, will MAB act similarly so as not to annoy “Khazanah/MOT” as history would suggest by tolerating this sort of belligerent corporate behaviour or be as strict as the Indonesian airport authorities.

    Reply
  14. hanif says:
    January 16, 2014 at 5:39 pm

    jack1960

    MAHB top management has no balls to take actions against AA because they know that Tony is closed to Khazanah’s boss. Tony is very powerful that’s why MAHB dared not take action when AA owed more than RM100 million airport tax.

    Reply
  15. Anonymous says:
    January 27, 2014 at 8:59 pm

    U all not business minded…u flying low caste airline then want everything free ka…. no free lunch la bro…. mr tony, after this lets charge rm 5 to use the toilet inside the aircraft and extra rm50 for the seat cushion…. can i have 5% profit from these idea??????

    Reply
    1. Red Indian Crook says:
      January 28, 2014 at 6:08 pm

      If Tony reads this, he will be jumping for joy. How about special fees for sitting on the chair in the plane? Say RM100. I would like to get a fee of 2% only for this small idea/

      Reply
  16. Unhappy user says:
    May 27, 2014 at 3:34 pm

    Thanks for your posting. Honestly I hated AirAsia not only they mistreated the handicapped badly but even they senior citizens as well.

    Can you imagine? They even want to assault the senior citizen just because her hand luggage was 0.2 KG heavier?

    After I saw this rude incident, i vow to Boycott AirAsia even if their tickets are tempting.

    Reply
  17. Bianco says:
    August 12, 2021 at 1:05 am

    Malindo Air does have WheelChair Charges within MALAYSIA even if you are registered OKU

    (up to 45 minutes before departure MYR 35. 00 and more than 45 minutes before departure MYR 85.00) refer to their website updated 12 August 2021

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Old Blog Stats
5,037,921 hits

New Site Statistics
  • Total page views: 35,929

Recent Posts

  • Temu Ramah dengan Sin Chew Daily pada 16.11.2022/Interview with Sin Chew Daily
  • Terima Kasih DBKL ambil tindakan segera!/Thank you DBKL!
  • Kenapa Warisan berdiri solo?
  • Video Terbaharu/New Videos Available!
  • The Telephone Calls That Brought Ex-MP Wee Out Of Political Retirement

Recent Comments

  1. Yunglong on Manifesto Warisan P116 – Wangsa Maju – PRU 15
  2. Mohamed Rafie Noor Mohamed on Waiving of Visa For Group Tourists
  3. Shahidan on Now Everyone Can Provide Banking Services Without Digital Banking Licence!
  4. John on Syed Zaid Albar Left SC In Disgrace – Good Riddance To BAD RUBBISH!
  5. Raman on Syed Zaid Albar Left SC In Disgrace – Good Riddance To BAD RUBBISH!

Archives

  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • November 2021
  • February 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • December 2017
  • October 2017
  • June 2017
  • January 2017
  • October 2016
  • July 2016
  • February 2016
  • December 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • June 2009
  • May 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009
  • December 2008
  • November 2008
  • October 2008
  • September 2008
  • August 2008
  • July 2008
  • June 2008
  • May 2008
  • April 2008
  • March 2008
  • February 2008

Categories

  • Uncategorized
  • wangsa maju
  • wee choo keong

Site Admin

Log in
©2023 Wee Choo Keong | WordPress Theme by Superbthemes.com