Batik Air Apologizes for Long Delay in Kuala Lumpur Airport

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Batik Air, formerly known as Malindo Air, has apologized for the long delays in flight departures from Kuala Lumpur International Airport on December 23. In a statement, the airline said it would contact all affected passengers to give them complimentary vouchers.

"We deeply regret that the delays have caused much inconvenience to our passengers and their families," the statement read.

The airline also said that the cause of the delay is being investigated and promised to build on any lapses in our operations for continuous improvement of our customer service delivery.

Batik Air said food vouchers were provided during the delay but not accommodation. The airline said that this was because hotels were fully booked and no food outlets were open past midnight at the terminal.

"We have no intention of causing the delay to be prolonged and we would like to reassure the public that the situation has been rectified and our operations at the KLIA terminal have resumed to normal,” the statement said. 

The apology came after Malaysia's Transportation Minister Loke Siew Fook urged Batik Air to issue an apology and be held accountable for the incident. This was the minister's response to Twitter user Firdaus Jailan (@firdausjailan) who posted a video saying he had been stranded at the airport for more than seven hours due to the delay.

Firdaus' video tweet, which has more than a million views, showed stranded passengers sleeping on benches near the departure gate, with the flight information display system not showing any flight delays.

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