Updates at 2:30 pm on 7 March 2019: It is not usual for the Minister of Transport to come out so quickly to stop the rumour that MAVCOM to be disbanded, HERE.
The question is “Which person or airline started the rumour?”. The Minister of Transport (MOT) should stop to dance to the tune of certain airline. It is not good for the image of the MOT, MOT should be fair to all airlines. MOT must not be seen to favour one airline against the others. Please take note Mr MOT.
MOT should assist MAVCOM to stop the practices of imposing “hidden charges” by all airlines. Hidden charges must be the things of the past.
Thank you
Of late, yours truly has observed that there were calls for the abolishment of Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM) and wondered what suddenly triggered this or more appropriately, who triggered this call.
For those unfamiliar with the entity, MAVCOM was established by Malaysian Aviation Commission Act, 2015 and was officially established on 1 March, 2016. MAVCOM is an economic regulator, taking care of economic and commercial matters in the local civil aviation sector with the ultimate objective to support economic growth for the country.
MAVCOM Protects Consumer
MAVCOM also plays a big role in Consumer Protection and attending to complaints by the traveling public against airlines and airport services, HERE.
After the establishment of MAVCOM, there is now an official body to attend to public complaints against airline and monitor the commercial activities of all airlines in Malaysia.
It is now very easy for traveling public to lodge complaints against the services or commercial activities of any unscrupulous airlines in HERE.
Misleading Advertisement On Air Ticket Prices By AirAsia & AirAsia X
On 4 December 2018 it was reported that MAVCOM imposed RM160,000.00 fine each against AirAsia (AA) and AirAsia X (AAX) for violating the Malaysian Aviation Consumer Protection Code 2016 (MACP) in the 2nd quarter of 2018. AA and AAX had advertised misleading air ticket prices, HERE & HERE.
MAVCOM Continues To Focus On Consumer Protection
Out of all the public complaints received, 99.7% of them have been resolved, HERE & HERE.
If you are a traveler, you can relate how frustrating it can be sometimes with the level of service provided by the airline and airport. Even before the journey itself, when you purchased your tickets, you are faced with hidden charges, which clearly reflect the conniving nature of certain airlines.
In ensuring that passengers continue to be protected, MAVCOM launched the Consumer Report. This report captures the complaints by passengers. As at September 2018, for its fourth issue, they saw an increase in the number of complaints received from consumers. Complaints can now be lodged online with MAVCOM, in HERE.
The Quality of Service Framework is to ensure that the airport gives passengers an acceptable level of service from toilet cleanliness, to directions in the airport to customer service, in HERE.
Passenger Service Charge (PSC)
Certain irresponsible elements have gone on a disinformation exercise to state that PSC is collected by MAVCOM. PSC is collected by he airlines when one purchase the airline tickets and the airline is legally obliged to handover the PSC of the departed passengers to MAHB.
The PSC rates were determined by professionals, analysts and economists commissioned by MAVCOM. The PSC numbers are not being plucked out of the air. Yours truly believes that it was a laboriously research before it is implemented. It must be noted that the current PSC rates in Malaysia remain among the lowest in the world.
Why Does MAVCOM Take The Trouble To Develop These Programmes?
It is to ensure that the traveling public get the best service out of the PSC that they are paying for.
After MAVCOM was set up by the Government, there was a marked increase of complaints from the traveling public against the commercial activities and services of airline and airport. It has created an awareness of consumer rights among the travelers, in HERE.
MAVCOM Is A Regulator
MAVCOM is the regulator and it differs from MOT or the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM). MOT looks into policies while CAAM is a technical regulator, overseeing safety, security and maintenance of the civil aviation sector.
Anyone accusing these entities as overlapping in their responsibilities is either downright stupid or has vested interests. Imagine if MAVCOM were to be abolished, what would that mean to the travelling public? Are Malaysians ready to be duped by certain airline to accept its poor level of service with many hidden charges and poor level of service at the airports?
Clearly from yours truly perspective, we must not allow certain undesirable element with vested agenda, who are in great pains to call for the abolishment of MAVCOM. We, the rakyat, should campaign to give more power to MAVCOM so that the rights of the traveling public are protected at all times – no more hidden charges, misleading advertisement on ticket prices and to ensure orderly development of civil aviation in Malaysia.
