Disconcerting flight delays (1)

This year, I had the opportunity to travel on seven return flights with low cost carriers. However, my wife decided that we should travel with Air Malta; something we lived to regret as it marred the beginning of our holiday as we missed our onward connection.

Flight KM146 to Manchester on June 22 was the third Air Malta delayed flight that afternoon – the two hour flight to Rome was also delayed by two hours and the flight to Libya was delayed by an hour. Not one of the 14 flights which I travelled on with low cost carriers was delayed and, all of a sudden, the tacky fanfare to announce that we arrived early or on time was also missed.

What is a big shame is that the airline’s CEO, along with his senior management, were not present to apologise and hear what their clients had to say about the airline they were managing and why all the changes they are making will not improve the airline’s image if such delays persist.

One particular couple, who were visiting Malta for their first time, were disappointed as the flight that they arrived on the previous week, KM147, was also delayed for four hours. At least, they were full of praise for Malta and the hotel they stayed in, however, they vowed that they would never fly with Air Malta again.

May I suggest to the minister responsible for this, once “respected”, national airline to insist that the CEO and the senior management leave their desks and go and meet their clients when such frequent flight delays occur so that they can listen and learn what a bad reputation the airline receives. This will help them to find out why no matter how many changes they make to the airline’s operation and irrespective of how much taxpayers’ money is injected into this lame duck, nothing will improve unless they provide a reliable service which competes with their direct competitors.

To cap things off, when our return flight, KM147, arrived at MIA on July 1, the 180 passengers were treated to a final frustration as only one set of steps was provided from which to disembark. This is something else that I have never come across with any other airline, unless the airliner is, of course, serviced by a pier.

Let us stop throwing away good money for if Air Malta’s scheduled service is not improved, no amount of Rissoles served (which included minced bones fragments and string) for dinner will make up for the wasted time.

If the airline truly wants to save money and improve the service, a decent sized cup of coffee or tea and a choice of sandwiches would suffice much better for a three hour flight than the usual bland airline meals offered on short-haul flights.