AirAsia Sparks Netizens Ire For Refusing To Refund Unused Flight Tickets
Air Asia X (AAX) courted the ire of netizens and its customers when they chose to pay 0.5 sen per ringgit per unused flight ticket due to bad business during the pandemic. In simple terms, AAX chose to treat their customers affected by the flight cancellations as creditors to be paid instead of refunding them fully for a service undelivered.
This came about after their restructuring plans were approved by all 3 groups of AAX creditors.
Air Asia X (AAX) courted the ire of netizens and its customers when they chose to pay 0.5 sen per ringgit per unused flight ticket due to bad business during the pandemic. In simple terms, AAX chose to treat their customers affected by the flight cancellations as creditors to be paid instead of refunding them fully for a service undelivered.
This came about after their restructuring plans were approved by all 3 groups of AAX creditors.
Netizens were understandably outraged by the decision especially after CEO of AirAsia group, Tony Fernandes, showed off his allegedly rented shiny Tesla Model Y car sometime in September. The price of the car is said to be approximately USD55 190.
It is irresponsible for a company’s CEO to spend so lavishly when their staff and customers are left unpaid.
Some called out AirAsia’s double standards.
Some reminded AirAsia that the majority of their customers aren’t well-off, thus the need to use budget airlines to travel.
Most called it a joke and just another way for the company to abscond from paying what is due to their customers.
Malaysian Aviation commission(MAVCOM) urged AAX to be fair to their customers who were affected by the ticket cancellations and to not treat them as creditors.
“Air travel consumers ought not to be classified as creditors as air travel consumers did not, inter alia, sell any products, provide services or make loans to AAX but instead have paid monies for the purchase of tickets in advance of their flights.” – MAVCOM for Malay Mail
AAX restructuring plans included reducing the number of Airbus orders from 78 to 15 A330neos and 20 A321XRLs. They also offered to pay 0.5% of the more than $8billion debt owed to creditors and terminate all existing contracts that will help the company from being delisted on the stock market.
However, treating customers as part of their creditors because they are liabilities is not fair. Much like companies, customers are also victims of the pandemic.
This is not the first time Air Asia was embroiled in controversial situations. Earlier this year, the bosses got into hot soup for using expletives and making loaded sexual innuendos at their female staff. The big boss himself got into trouble for showing off, “renting” a spanking new Tesla car when the company still hadn’t refunded their customers who were affected by flight cancellations due to the Covid-19 restrictions.
Reporter’s Opinions: Can you smell what The Rock is smelling?
Yeah, bullshit. It’s simple. PAY UP. 0.5 sen per ringgit is fucking pathetic. If you cannot reimburse all, at least pay them half of what’s due. What sort of ponzi scheme are you running?
You’re gonna lose your credibility as a business entity and a boss. If the rumours of unpaid workers are true, you are done for.
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