26

Does the number 26 mean anything to you? Well, it means a lot to me now!

I was traveling on flight AK5745 on 2nd November 2018 from Tawau to Kuala Lumpur. The plane arrived early. Everyone's boarding pass was checked and were lead to go down the stairs to board the plane. There was no longer any priority for premium seat or hot seat passengers.

Everyone was cramped into the narrow staircase as the exit door was blocked. So we were made to wait in the staircase for close to 20 minutes.

Then the announcement came saying there was a technical problem with the flight. We were asked to return to the departure lounge. The announcer promised to keep us updated after 30 minutes. However no announcement was made after 30 minutes.

The announcement came 1 hour later, informing everyone that the flight was not ready. Then another 30 minutes time frame was promised!

Anyway we did not have to wait that long. 10 minutes later we were invited to board the plane. We were informed by the captain that the computer was having problem. So they had to reboot the system. He was a Japanese.

I was given seat number 26C.

The flight was smooth.

On 4th November 2018 I was to travel from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Bharu. My flight AK6432 was at 7.20am. I set my alarm at 4.00am but I woke up at 3.00am. By 5.30am I was already at the airport and that was when I decided to walk around the terminal building to make up for my lost jogging on Sunday.

The flight was on time. The Indonesian captain welcomed us and informed us that the weather in Kota Bharu was fine.

I was given seat number 26C!

Merely a few minutes after the plane was towed out, it was pulled back to the parking bay.

The Indonesian captain informed us that the earlier flight to Kota Bharu was still not able to land. So we waited.

30 minutes later the plane took off. The journey was smooth. The plane was landing and everyone was waiting. However it shot up again!

Immediately the captain said the clouds were too low and he could not see the run way. So the landing was aborted and we had to circle around hoping for the clouds to clear.

20 minutes later the captain said that as the weather did not improve we were heading back to Kuala Lumpur to refuel. I spoke to the steward and stewardess. They informed me that the plane normal carries 30 minutes worth of extra fuel so the circling time could not take too long.

I asked why we did not head towards Kuala Trengganu which is nearer. They told me that the landing would need DCA (Domestic Civil Aviation) approval. I learned.

I was actually making a day trip to Kota Bharu. I was visiting my mother. I had a return flight on AK6441 at 6.35pm on the same day.

When we returned to Kuala Lumpur, everyone waited. We were asked to remain on board, assuming that we would take off as soon as the refueling was done.

Later the Chief Stewardess asked everyone to disembark. Further information would be announced by the ground staffs.

I checked with the steward and stewardess I was talking to earlier. They said they were heading else where.

By then it was already more than 10.00am. With no certainty on when the flight would take off I would not have much time in Kota Bharu, taking into consideration of the waiting time at the airport and traffic jam in Kota Bharu. Sunday is a working day in Kelantan.

I shared my concerned with the steward and stewardess. They agreed with me that it was not worth it for me to travel. I asked what happened to my un-flown ticket. They said I could request for a reschedule or convert into point.

I thanked them and went out the plane. I informed the ground staff that I was not continuing with the flight. He took my reference and I left.

I went to the counter but there were two long queues. I decided not to wait.

I then sent a direct message to AirAsia requesting for advice on Twitter. There was no reply. I then sent a tweet to them. There was no reply either.

I left the airport and headed towards Kuala Lumpur city to work on my alternatives. I had to make my journey worth my money.

Some where around 3.00pm I received a message which requested me to rate the AirAsia service on Twitter. Naturally I rated it the lowest possible which was very dissatisfied. I added the note, no reply, no solution yet asked to rate!

Later I received a reply from AirAsia. The time stamp was 1.29pm but I only received it after 3.00pm. The interesting part was, the message at 1.29pm said my flight to Kota Bharu was rescheduled to 1.30pm. They asked me to approach the counter for assistance!

I replied, asking them to checked my request. This time the reply came rather fast, asking me to contact the guest service assistant!

I was not happy. I replied saying that I made a simple request yet I was pushed around. I also told them that they got my name wrong and I wondered if they took my request seriously!

Finally another staff replied saying that they have sent out requests to the various departments and was awaiting their replies.

By the way, the flight from Kota Bharu to Kuala Lumpur which I was supposed to take was also delayed.

I was given seat number 26D!

There was no reply from AirAsia until the following morning. I sent a reply instead and asked for updates. Their reply was that they were still waiting for the replies from the various departments!

On 5th November 2018 I was to take a flight AK5751 at 3.05pm from Kuala Lumpur to Tawau. By the time I arrived at the airport, the flight has been delayed to 4.00pm.

When I was about to walk to the departure lounge much later, the flight was further delayed to 4.20pm.

Nevertheless the plane eventually arrived and we boarded.

As you might have guessed, I was again given seat number 26D!

The plane did not take off on time based on the new scheduled time, but it further delayed to 5.00pm due to traffic congestion. No faults of the plane as it arrived late from Kuching earlier on, as I was told.

The journey back to Tawau was uneventful. Oops, there was a group of teachers and students who bought so many bags of bread that they took up so much space in the overhead compartments. It created some chaos!

Anyway it was good to be home but now the number 26 carries a different meaning!

#LifeStories #AirAsia