Couple Stranded In Melbourne: AirAsia X Says Earlier Flight Was Available
All affected guests were automatically moved to the next available flights based on flight capacity and availabilitY, says AirAsia X.
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In responding to a claim on Twitter that a couple was forced to withdraw their ASB savings to accommodate a 4-day delay by AirAsia, the airline has issued a statement to address the matter.
One half of the couple who goes by @NazFarid on Twitter posted a thread on 4 January, tagging Transport Minister Anthony Loke, claiming they “were left stranded in Melbourne because of AirAsia airline delayed our flight”.
READ MORE HERE: Couple Forced To Stay In Melbourne For 5 Days After Flight Cancellation, Withdraws ASB Savings To Pay For Hotel
The Twitter user said they had to cover a few days worth of expenses, as they were supposed to have left Melbourne on 2 January at 7.40am, but their flight was delayed to 6 January. They eventually flew back at 3am on 6 January.
AirAsia X (AAX) in a statement released today referred to the Twitter post “which was not “accurately presented and news articles published based on the Tweet that could be misleading”.
Following a full factual investigation, Benyamin Ismail, CEO of AirAsia X Malaysia said: “First and foremost, we apologise to all our guests affected by the cancellation of D7219 from Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur on 2nd January 2023. We confirm that the flight was cancelled due to operational reasons following a bird strike at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (klia2).
“All affected guests were automatically moved to the next available flights based on flight capacity and availability and were also provided with immediate Service Recovery Options (SRO) to minimise any impact.
“In accordance with our policy to notify guests of any schedule changes as soon as possible, we notified the concerned guest of the cancellation via email and SMS on 30 December 2022 twice before their original scheduled departure at 07:40 on 2 January 2023. We also attempted to contact the guest on 31 December 2022 using the mobile number provided upon booking but the guest could not be reached.
“On 30 December 2022, the concerned guest contacted our chatbot AVA and when prompted that the booking is eligible for a flight change, the guest selected ‘No’ and ended the conversation without seeking further assistance to chat with our Live Agent.
“On 2 January 2023, the guest contacted AVA again before choosing the SRO to move their flight to 5 January 2023 and cancelled the request twice upon earlier flight availability confirmation. At this time, our flights before the rescheduled travel date between 3 and 5 January 2023 were available and operated as scheduled.
“We are working closely with the authorities and will provide all available information that may be required to set the record straight. While we always welcome constructive feedback to ensure we can improve our services as we strive to deliver better customer experience, we ask that any and all claims made by the public be substantiated.”
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