‘You guys are absolute f*cking dog sh*t’: Passenger slams M’sia Airlines’ crisis management team after Heathrow diversion
A Malaysian comedian has criticised Malaysia Airlines’ (MAS) crisis management team after he was allegedly “abandoned” in Manchester following a flight diversion from London Heathrow Airport.
Dr Jason Leong, a medical doctor turned stand-up comedian, went on a rant about the situation in a video posted hours after the flight landed at Manchester Airport on the evening of Sept 8.
In the video, Leong accused MAS of “abandoning” the passengers and crew of flight MH4, which was flying from Kuala Lumpur to London before being diverted to Manchester after a technical disruption led to the closure of London Heathrow Airport.
He claimed that there was no airline representative available to assist them even three to four hours after they landed in Manchester.
“Like, will we be sent to a hotel to stay for the night? Will our luggage be delivered to hotel rooms? Or do we wait for another flight out to Heathrow? None of this,” says Leong in the video.
However, Leong praised the pilots and the cabin crew of the flight, saying they were also left “stranded” without their baggage and with no idea what to do next.
Leong added that the pilot ended up trying to contact the airline’s headquarters while fielding questions from beleaguered passengers.
“How is this guy supposed to do both jobs? Fly the plane and be customer service?” asks Leong.
Leong ends the rant by calling MAS’ crisis management team “absolute f*cking dog sh*t”.
“Because you guys don’t know how to manage a crisis. Everyone and their mother knows that Heathrow shut down and flights had to be diverted from Heathrow to elsewhere. Everyone knows. Except, apparently, the crisis management team at Malaysia Airlines,” he says.
Netizens divided over comedian’s viral rant
Leong’s post on Facebook has garnered more than 744,000 views, 6,300 reactions and 1,300 comments, while the same video on Instagram has racked up more than 921,000 views and 1,700 comments.
Even though many sympathised with Leong and agreed with his assessment of the airline, others criticised his complaint, saying he did not fully understand the situation. This was despite Leong stating in the video that he was not blaming the airline for the disruption or flight diversion.
One Facebook user, explaining that the airline does not have a presence in Manchester, said: “MAS HQ back in KL needs to assess the situation first before doing whatever they can to help the stranded passengers, hence the captain on the phone with them. You cursing the airline, using foul language like this is not helping the situation.” The commenter even called Leong entitled and added that people like him were the problem with the country.
Another said: “If MAS is a dogsh*t airline, you have the choice to take another carrier.
Some felt that Leong should take a breather and calm down.
“Unforeseen circumstances, nothing to be upset about. For a frequent flyer, such chaos and commotion may be expected in the event of a disruption in flight plan,” said one netizen.
“It doesn’t happen daily. Probably they, too, were caught by surprise. Take it easy bro... I know it’s no fun to be stranded,” another said.
Several netizens criticised the airline, too.
“That’s why it’s called MAS... mana ada sistem (literally, there is no system). It sticks to its name!” said a netizen. “Sounds like a budget flight,” another said.
There was one Instagram user who defended Leong.
“I’m one of those stranded at Manchester (Airport) last night. To all those here arguing that MAS isn’t at fault at all, you’re completely wrong,” said the netizen, who claimed that passengers of other airlines which were also diverted to Manchester were given clear directives. “MAS customers received zero communication from MAS themselves until well past midnight,” added the netizen.
Did not contact MAS as he felt no point in doing so
Speaking to Stomp before a performance in Manchester on Sept 11, Leong explained that he filmed the video after he and other passengers were told to leave Manchester Airport and that they would not receive their luggage that night.
“I took a train from Manchester to London the following morning, Sept 9. The plane then landed on the evening of Sept 9 at Heathrow and I personally went to Heathrow to get my bag,” he added.
Leong said he didn’t attempt to contact MAS that evening as he felt there was no point in doing so.
“Many people tried, and they got nowhere. I didn’t, I chose to stick close to the crew, and the commander of the flight, Captain Ikmal tried to contact Malaysia Airlines and even he couldn’t get any info on next steps,” Leong said.
He told Stomp that he isn’t at all surprised at the reaction of some netizens to his rant.
“In my opinion, Malaysia Airlines is tied to Malaysia’s pride and identity. So when I complained harshly about Malaysia Airlines, many took it personally and felt that I was insulting the country itself. Which of course are two different matters altogether.
“So no, I wasn’t surprised at all. But the MAS apologists are the exact reason why MAS will never improve. Too many people are OK with mediocrity,” said Leong.
The airline did eventually make a post on recovery services and details of reimbursements.
Leong will perform in Singapore at The Star Theatre on Oct 23 and 24, after his shows in the UK and Europe. Tickets are available on www.jasonleong.my.
Will he be flying MAS to Singapore?
“I will be flying Firely, which is a subsidiary of MAS. Thankfully, I don’t have to transit in Heathrow,” said Leong, his sense of humour very much intact.
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