I decided to book online return flights to Amsterdam on Air Malta and purchased a travel insurance policy. I noted that my travel insurance would be covered by Mondial Assistance.

On return to Malta, it was noticed that damage had occurred to one of the suitcases and I duly reported to Air Malta’s baggage services office. I was advised that the damage was not the responsibility of Air Malta (!) and I was asked whether I had insurance cover as this would make up for the damage.

I was duly provided with a damage report and advised to call in person at the Mondial offices. I was further advised to call the Mondial offices prior to visiting them to ask whether they would want me to take the damaged suitcase to their offices for inspection.

I asked the lady at the Air Malta baggage services office for the address and telephone of the Mondial offices and was told that she did not know them but they were probably in Valletta.

I rang the telephone number shown on the policy but either could not get through or the call was left on hold. I then decided to ring Mondial Travel in Valletta (SMS Mondial) and was advised that they had received other calls asking for Mondial Assistance and they, SMS Mondial, had nothing to do with them.

I called a friend in the travel business and he advised me that the telephone number on the insurance policy was located in Greece. I duly contacted Air Malta’s baggage services and was advised that the only number available for Mondial they had was the one in Greece and that they (Air Malta) could not help any further.

So much for being advised by the lady at Air Malta’s baggage services to call and take the suitcase to the Valletta offices!

I asked if I could have the number of the Air Malta customer care services and the lady (at baggage services) advised me that the customer care services were only contactable by e-mail and could not be reached by phone as they did not have a telephone number.

I asked what her advice would be if one either did not have a computer or was not able to write and she replied that she could not help any further.

I bought the travel insurance policy in good faith and would have expected to have any complaints or problems handled directly by Air Malta.

Even the Air Malta staff at baggage services seemed to be under the impression that the policy was with Mondial in Valletta. I most certainly did not expect to have to phone offices in Greece and incur the expensive telephone charges involved to solve a problem that I had undertaken with Air Malta.

Whereas my initial problem concerned a damaged suitcase I felt more worried why Malta’s national airline does not deem fit to use the insurance services available in Malta but opts to pay foreign companies for this business to the loss of the Maltese economy and the taxpayers who have been supporting Air Malta through its troubled times. One assumes that these insurance payments involve large sums of money.

And, perhaps even more amazing, is the fact that Air Malta customer care office is not contactable by phone.

On June 2, I wrote to the chairman of Air Malta and copied my letter to the Minister of Tourism, Karmenu Vella.

My letter did not include my e-mail address, yet, on June 5, I received an e-mail from a person at Air Malta advising me that my letter “had been forwarded to the relevant department for their necessary action”.

I would have expected a letter in reply as per etiquette (apart from an e-mail)!

I have not heard anything from Air Malta since. Nor have I had receipt, acknowledgement or reply from the minister. I would have thought he would be worried especially with regard to the foreign insurance and the customer care office.