Sentiments plummet as Malaysia Airlines flight diverted to Doha leaves passengers stranded

Sentiments against Malaysia Airlines have plummeted after a flight from London to Kuala Lumpur was diverted to Doha due to technical issues. 70% of comments criticised the poor service quality and lack of adequate customer care during the disruption, according to media intelligence firm Dataxet. 

According to a statement by Malaysia Airlines, in the interest of safety, the pilot in command on flight MH1 made the decision on 4 August to divert to ensure the issue was rectified before proceeding to the intended destination of Kuala Lumpur. 

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The flight was carrying 280 passengers and 16 crew members and landed safely at 7.21am Doha time on 5 August. Passengers were accommodated at hotels near the airport, and some were transferred on other flights. 

It added that Malaysia Airlines staff in Doha were on hand both at the airport and at the hotel to provide "continuous information and assistance" to reallocate remaining passengers on the next available flights. 

"Malaysia Airlines deeply regrets the inconvenience experienced and appreciates the patience and understanding given by passengers of flight MH1," it said, adding that it is committed to managing its guests with utmost care and efficiency. 

However, passengers MARKETING-INTERACTIVE spoke to who were on the flight reported a vastly different situation. 

A passenger, Edward Harcourt, senior vice president, QS Quacquarelli Symonds, said that the reason given to them for the diversion was that there was a malfunction in the weather navigation system. 

Harcourt told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that the plane landed and that passengers exited the plane to "complete chaos". 

Harcourt said that there were no Malaysia Airlines staff on ground and that they were herded around the airport for the next four to five hours with local staff attempting to assist. 

Eventually, passengers were taken to local hotels without their luggage and were told to wait for further instructions, he said. 

He added that they were told that Malaysia Airlines had made the decision to fix the plane in question rather than arranging alternatives. Harcourt said that they were told that the airline would be flying over parts and that they would be able to depart on 6 August at 10am local time. However, two hours before departure, passengers were told that the plane was not ready and that the earliest it would depart would be 2pm on 7 August. 

"The communication with passengers was patchy with conflicting information coming in to us," said Harcourt, explaining that many were still stranded 60 hours after the unscheduled stop.

He added that Malaysia Airlines' customer service was also either unreachable or only gave them computer-generated and unhelpful responses. 

According to Dataxet, 20% of netizens appreciated the focus on passenger safety and praised the decision-making by the pilot and crew, acknowledging that safety should be the top priority.

10% of comments discussed the issue of compensation and passenger rights, especially in the context of delays and cancellations, and the adequacy of the airline's response.

This comes as Malaysia Airlines attempts to rebuild its reputation following a spate of incidents. Most recently, Malaysia Airlines drew mixed sentiments after its recent AI-generated Chinese New Year post raised questions of authenticity and ethics in marketing.

The post aimed to promote the airline's domestic and international flights during the festive period and showed a family laughing together as they celebrate the new year. It said, "Embrace the joy of family reunions this Chinese New Year" with prices for flights included. However, netizens were quick to point out that the image looked to be created using AI. 

One user said "using AI-generated images made their image look cheap" while another questioned if a photographer was hard to find.  Meanwhile, some users showed support, commenting "wow nice AI image" and defended the company against users whose comments denote a negative tone. 

Last year, Malaysia Airlines' brand sentiments encountered turbulence due to an in-flight catering hullabaloo that unfolded in September. Chatter arose after the airline's completion of its longstanding partnership with anchor caterer, Brahim’s Food Services.

Following the ending of the partnership, Malaysia Airlines created an online FAQ addressing the news and also said that passengers are allowed to bring their own meals amidst the transition. According to the FAQ, while food will still be made available, it won't be a hot meal but rather, refreshments. This led to disgruntled passengers expressing their discontentment on social media.

According to media intelligence company, CARMA at the time, conversations on social media about Malaysia Airlines had been overwhelmingly negative at 40.6% and said that this surge in negative sentiment signals a troubling trend wherein the airline’s reputation could suffer if not addressed and rectified promptly.  

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