Disabled Rights Advocate Demands Apology from Malaysia Airlines

6th Feb 2017

Although he says he made special requests in both booking and check-in, according to Malaysia Airlines passenger and advocate for disabled rights Mr. Peter Tan his requests were not in flight manifest.

As a result, Mr. Tan is now demanding an official apology from the staff at Malaysia Airlines.

In his “Open Letter to the CEO of Malaysia Airlines”, Tan explains how he was not allowed to board the MH784 flight on 1^st February until all other passengers had boarded.

In addition, MAB, says Tan, did not heed his request for an aisle chair.

Mr Tan said:

When the travel agent booked the tickets, Malaysia Airlines was informed I am a wheelchair user and require an aisle chair to get into the aircraft. During the check-in at the KLIA, I again informed the counter staff of that need and told her I would check in my wheelchair at the boarding gate and want it at the arrival gate after the plane landed. The wheelchair was duly tagged.

Tan was traveling to Bangkok for the Prince Mahidol Award Conference with his wife Ng Swee Wuan. He said he reiterated his request for a special aisle chair (one used by to transport passengers who cannot walk to their seat).

He added in the letter to the MAB CEO:

My wheelchair was tagged a second time there. I was allowed to board first but there was no aisle chair. I was made to wait 15 minutes outside the aircraft while the other passengers boarded until an aisle chair was brought in. The arm-rest for seat 11C was faulty and couldn’t be lifted despite repeated attempts by your cabin crew. I have tetraplegia and had great difficulty transferring to the seat and vice versa when the flight landed at Bangkok.

Fortunately, the aisle chair finally arrived, but the ground staff kept denying the request for a customized wheelchair. That was despite assurances from the cabin crew that it will be available to Tan once he departs the airport lounge.

Your cabin crew telling me my wheelchair would be brought to the departure lounge was only to get me off the aircraft. I wonder if this is the standard practice of Malaysia Airlines when it comes to treating disabled passengers.