A Choice of "Not to choose"

If you ever made luggage booking with AirAsia, unintentionally "over" booked, that is... "TER"-booking..., then leave it be. Do not try to down grade it. Unless of course you want to upgrade, in which case, AirAsia will certainly welcome it since it will mean more "money" to them.

Read the "TER"-booking incident here:-

Experiment Bodoh Dengan Air Asia

Not only the customer lost THE ALREADY PAID extra kg when he down-graded it, he was also CHARGED a so-called "spoilage" fee resulting a "no refund" from AirAsia.

(EL-CHEAPO)

Do you think this is a "civilised" business practiced here? I think, even though AirAsia may want to refuse any refund when the customer made a mistake in his booking, it is more "civilised" for AirAsia to caution the customer CLEARLY before hand that "no refund will be made in case you down grade". But instead, AirAsia seems to "silently" charge "a spoilage fee" - a fee realised by the customer only after event.  Looks like only "an excuse" of not wanting to give any refund.

I say, a "civilised" business practise will not charge a customer when an unintentional mistake was done ESPECIALLY when the booking in AirAsia website is quite CONFUSING, as claimed by many!!!

I tend to agree when some say that booking air ticket with AirAsia can be a quite confusing experience. You better take your time when doing the booking, do not rush, otherwise, only after payment that you may realise your seat is actually "defaulted" to an RM30 optional cost, when you actually do not mind a random seat in the first place. This is one thing, but do you think that this is a "respected" business practice? What if in case of a family? Surely a family would want the members to sit close together, would it not? In this case, the family is FORCED to choose seats and therefore a forced option!! Is this fair after paying the flight tickets? I think this is "disrespectful" business practice. But MAS seems to follow the same "disrespectful" practice of late!!!

Compare the AirAsia business practice to the one I myself experienced many many years ago in USA. I ran out of blank video tape. So I went searching for one in a superstore/hypermarket.. forgot the name.. was it Walmart? Yes I found one, but the package stated, "for NTSC system". I knew our TV system was "PAL" but I was not sure whether my video camera could use an "NTSC system" tape. I asked the customer service rep there and of course, not an expert in video-system himself, he said, "Go ahead and test it. See if it works".

I said, "You mean... I open this package and go ahead actually record something out of it? What if, it does not work?"

He said, "Well.. bring it back with the purchase receipt. We'll refund you on the spot. You should not be paying for something that you cannot use."

I remember his last sentence till to-date! Now compare how "respectful" the business practice was with the one of AirAsia!.

Yes, to me, it is confusing when one has to un-tick to say "no" and in another instance, "tick" to say "yes". I had (website) booking experiences with RyanAir and EasyJet, two foreign low cost carriers. It still stick to my mind, the incredible (seasonal) offer price by RyanAir was the exact price I saw and PAID for, inclusive of everything (fuel charge, processing charge, etc) i.e. no other hidden charges after confirming the booking. It was not a confusing booking experience with EasyJet where it was all tick to say "yes" (un-tick to cancel) in case you opt for some optionals. And I dont remember in both cases, RyanAir and EasyJet, that I had to pay extra when choosing my seats. When booking with AirAsia, the feeling I get is - AirAsia tries to "trick" you for your "money" as long as you are not careful enough. Therefore, it is advisable for you not to be in a "hurry" when making a booking at AirAsia website. Do take it slowly, carefully, review your booking processes until you are clear with what you want before hitting the "confirm" button. And also be prepared for other charges not mentioned when making the booking, to be included later in the final ticket price. That is AirAsia for you.

(Our education system "creativity" vision)

Is this what you call "creativity"? Come on TS Muhyiddin! Is this the kind of people you invite to be the panelist on your education panel, imparting "creativity" to our young children? What creativity? Creativity of how to do "the trick"? Of  how to become a tricky money monster?

And for MAS, are you becoming "el-cheapo" too when you start to charge customer for choosing their seats? Oh I forgot.. some of AirAsia men are in your boardroom now..Thought MAS is re-branding itself as "premium airlines" which is surely not an "el-cheapo". "El-cheapo" here is not "competitive in ticket pricing" but doing business so "cheaply", swelling your bank account by bankrupting your moral.

BTW, someone in airline industry told me once - "AirAsia pilots have to bring their own meals into the cockpit.  Inside a plastic bag!! (as they were not accorded meals by their employer)". Is this true?! Can anyone confirm this? AirAsia pilots??!!

Read OUTSIDE THE BOX piece here, "Tony Fernandez Take Over MAS".

Years ago MAS was made to give up some of their remote routes in Sabah/Sarawak. Not only that, MAS had to refurbish some aircrafts for AirAsia to operate with. (Go to ..LISTED!!! and click on the search label "MAS" to read the exact stories from many bloggers). MAS, whom was earlier "robbed" some routes, ended with cannibalised aircraft when AirAsia handed back the "business" over to MAS due to unprofitable issue?

Today, MAS was again "robbed" of some routes, this time no longer "remote" routes but include some international routes as well! Reading OUTSIDE THE BOX piece above, it looks like AirAsia is heading for some serious "unprofitable issue" again? Now what? Handing MAS with some "committed bookings of hundreds of air buses costing in region of 50 billions? And AirAsia men are watching QPR playing soccer (courtesy of MAS coffer?) in a not so "famous" match, as famous as MU?

What is really going on here in our airlines industry? Apa nak jadi dengan negara ini??

Since our leader is talking about liberalisation, why not liberalise our airlines industry as well? Let MAS (and AirAsia) becomes private business, NO LONGER involving tax-payers money! Gomen stay out of MAS, stay out of AirAsia! less tax-payer money goes to the drain! And allow SIA, ThaiAirways, Royal Brunei, KLM, Emirate, Ittihad etc operate our local routes, as well!!! Let RyanAir and EasyJet to come in too if they want to operate our KLIA-KBR route!

If MAS does not want to care about themselves, letting AirAsia "sodomising" them each and every way, then why should we all care? If it is their money, then let them "sodomise" each other, till deaths, who cares? The problem is, it is the tax-payer money. The problem with politicians is, they put our money to where their mouths are!

Let all other airlines in the world come in to even operate our local routes! At least we have a choice of NOT TO CHOOSE AirAsia. The logo below already says so, "X to AirAsia".

("NO" to AirAsia?)