By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, Jan 10: A Malaysian family of four’s holiday turned to horror when they arrived in Shanghai, China, last month without their suitcases, allegedly due to Malaysia Airlines’ (MAS) negligence.
According to the timeline, Mr Fong and his wife and two sons boarded a MAS flight to Shanghai on Dec 16, 2023, but the airline left their luggage behind at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
Upon arrival, the family was left with no warm clothes, especially when Shanghai’s temperature was dropping below zero degrees.
At that time, they had difficulties contacting MAS personnel responsible for handling these issues, and they only received their luggage in the early morning of Dec 19, 62 hours later.
Due to the luggage delay, the family of four had no choice but to spend money to purchase new sets of warm clothing and basic supplies. Not to mention, Mr Fong could not take his medication on time, potentially having a negative impact on his health.
When the family returned to Malaysia, Mr Fong and his wife attempted to contact MAS’ Lost and Found Department, hoping for compensation or a resolution, but they encountered many difficulties.
They alleged that MAS Insurance company even astonishingly demanded that they produce a report from MAS itself regarding the aeroplane’s luggage loss to prove the luggage delay situation.
Mr Fong also tried calling MAS for assistance multiple times during these two weeks but never connected to their customer service line.
Following this, they sought help from Stampin MP Chong Chieng Jen today, who promptly drafted a letter to MAS, the Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM) and the Ministry of Transport (MOT), requesting the authorities to pay attention to the matter.
He hoped that the relevant authorities would quickly address and resolve this issue, stating that despite purchasing luggage insurance, the compensation the family expected to receive was far from sufficient to cover their losses and inconveniences.
“Anyone leaving their home could sometimes encounter such problem (luggage delay). However, airlines should swiftly resolve such mistakes. In the case of Mr Fong’s issues, MAS took 62 hours to deliver the luggage to their hotel, which is an extremely inefficient response to problem-solving.
“Furthermore, when the victim later sought compensation from MAS Insurance, they faced numerous difficulties. This reflects a completely irresponsible business culture.
“I hope MAVCOM can promptly address this complaint and provide justice to Mr Fong’s family,” he said in a statement today. — DayakDaily
