The issue has caused bemusement among industry experts and consumers alike, with the main contention being that other Southeast Asian airlines flying similar routes have not taken a similar stance.
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Less than 24 hours after telling Europe-bound passengers they were not allowed to take check-in baggage because of “unseasonably strong headwinds”, Malaysian Airlines did a sudden U-turn Wednesday.
Malaysia Airlines will end its flights to Paris and Amsterdam later this month, leaving London as its only European destination, as part of a restructure of its worldwide operations.
While the maximum takeoff weight (which determines range) of the Boeing 777-200ER that Malaysia Airlines uses is not clear, it is possible the aircraft has a standard range of only 5,960 nm. It didn’t elaborate on the reason behind the new route, but a Malaysia Airlines jet flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down by a missile in eastern Ukraine in 2014, killing all 298 people on board. No other airline asked passengers to leave their luggage because of the windy weather. “That’s been Malaysia Airlines’ problem in the last 10 years”.
The carrier said in the bulletin that it would “continue to assess the changing situation”.
The carrier’s “Bucket List” advertisement campaign in September 2014, sparked criticism across social media.
Malaysia Airlines temporarily banned some luggage on flights to Europe due to strong headwinds, the airline said Tuesday. The airline later said it will stop the “inappropriate ” campaign in New Zealand and Australia.
The baggage allowance restriction for all flights bound for the European Union has been lifted, Malaysia Airlines announced.
“It’s an operational measure to avoid conflict zones”, said Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, director general of Malaysia’s civil aviation department.
Tuesday’s baggage plan was also widely criticized over the Internet.
Services to London using long-range Airbus Group SE A380 superjumbos can operate as normal using a shorter route after the airline updated a “risk-assessment matrix” with new data, it said.
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Malaysia Airlines today retracted a ban on check-in luggage for flights to Paris and Amsterdam after being ridiculed online. “What airlines usually do is limit the number of passengers”.
