Our editorial team has recently had the pleasure of meeting with the Director of Consumer Affairs, Madam Pushpalatha Subramaniam, of The Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM) to have an informative dialogue concerning consumer affairs within the aviation industry.
MAVCOM was formally established on 1 March 2016 under the Malaysian Aviation Commission Act 2015 to regulate economic and commercial matters related to civil aviation in Malaysia. Their goal: to promote a commercially viable, consumer-oriented and resilient civil aviation industry that supports the nation’s economic growth.
MAVCOM is also a regulating body that oversees economic and consumer matters, as well as being an independent adviser to the Ministry of Transport for economic matters pertaining to civil aviation.
When The Malaysian Aviation Consumer Protection Code 2016 (MACPC) came into force on 1 July 2016, it brought to light policies that were already in place and enforced in other parts of the developed world, that would now be administered in Malaysia too.
MACPC covers the protection of consumers and the proper education of their travel rights, oversees operating airlines and airports and their responsibility and accountability towards quality of service, align Malaysia towards global standards in consumer protection, and drive airlines’ efficiency to take ownership in providing equitable resolution to the issues created by them.
In overseeing and enforcing proper regulation, MAVCOM has created a one-stop shop that covers all necessary tips and information for consumers to aid them on all travel related activities called FlySmart. Created specifically for the travelers of the 21st century, FlySmart assists with queries pertaining to damaged and lost baggage, flight delays and cancelations, up to date information on flight related news, the how-to’s regarding compensation, wheelchair services for disabled and elderly passengers, denied boarding, refunds, and reimbursements.
FlySmart advises consumers to file complaints with their respective airline for issues faced, after which there will be a grace period of 30 days to address, rectify, and provide a solution. In the event of a lack of response, consumers are then encouraged to file the same report via the FlySmart mobile app where proper action will be taken up with the airline in question.
FlySmart offers essential travel advice and helps passengers to be aware of their rights before, during, and after air-related journeys as paying travellers, and all of this information can be found on their site, flysmart.my. FlySmart is also available on Facebook and Instagram. Download the mobile app for fuss free essential travel information, or to file a complaint.
Feature image credit: JESHOOTS.COM.
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