Former Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong has expressed his frustration with AirAsia after experiencing multiple flight changes and eventual cancellation. Wee, who booked AirAsia flight AK6498 from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan, faced continuous delays and rescheduling.
Flight rescheduled for 5 times
In a Facebook post, Wee shared that his flight was scheduled for 3:10 pm on 20 July 2024. However, at 8:40 am on the same day, he received an SMS from AirAsia informing him of a delay to 5:55 pm.
“After checking out from the hotel in Kota Kinabalu at 2 pm, I was notified that the flight was further delayed to 11:30 pm,” he wrote.
However, by 8:55 pm, Wee received another update pushing the flight to 2:10 am on July 21, 2024.
Read also: Wee Ka Siong Amuses Parliament By Bringing 3 Eggs To Debate About Egg Prices
Later at 10:15 pm, AirAsia informed him that the flight was rescheduled to 1:30 am. Despite arriving at the airport before 1 am, he was disappointed to find that the flight was canceled.
AirAsia staff at the counter confirmed that passengers would be updated on flight status at 7 am on 21 July 2024.
Criticises AirAsia for not informing passengers in advance
Wee criticized AirAsia for not informing passengers earlier and providing false hopes repeatedly.
He mentioned renting a room in Kota Kinabalu for a short rest and checking out at 12:35 am, only to face further inconvenience.
Wee observed numerous other stranded AirAsia passengers at the airport and the hotel, many of whom were frustrated with the airline’s lack of accommodation arrangements for the two-day delay.
“AirAsia should have informed passengers earlier if they intended to cancel the flight. Providing false hopes repeatedly is unacceptable,” Wee stated in his Facebook post.
Due to the ordeal, he had to cancel his program scheduled in Sandakan at 7 pm on July 20, and the status of his 10 am event on July 21 remains uncertain.
He apologized to his friends in Sandakan who were expecting his arrival.
“I’m sorry to my friends waiting for me in Sandakan,” he added.
Watch the video here:
