11 August 2015
A doctor who is a traveler criticised the unreasonable stand of Malaysian Airports Holdings Bhd that screenshot e-Pass for boarding is not valid at klia2. The Mobile App must be online or otherwise the passenger has to get his boarding ticket from the check-in counter.
Dr Selva Kumar was at the klia2 to catch a 4.45pm Air Asia flight back to Labuan on August 2. As he was showing his boarding pass on his smartphone, the security at the gate insisted that the App must be online.
"At the time, the data was down," he said showing his digital device that the barcode could not be retrieved online.
According to him, other airports run by MAHB had no problem in accepting the screenshot display of the e-Boarding, including KLIA1, Labuan and Kota Kinabalu.
What was strange was that why only in klia2, the low cost carrier terminal which is the main hub of Air Asia, this was an exception rather than the rule.
"What a crying shame for the gateway to Malaysia by budget airlines that the most sophisticated terminal in the country is not in step with digital application.
The security checkpoint does not have card reader to read the barcode on the screenshot."
To add salt to injury, the details on the e-boarding and the printed ticket were the same, showing the identity of the passenger, which could be tallied with his MyKad or passport. Whether the Mobile App or on screenshot., it has no bearing as long as the barcode could be read by scanning on the device.
At the boarding gate, the security did not have the card reader to verify the barcode. The security only checked the name and identity of the passenger and the flight number and time of departure.
Accessing online means the passenger must subscribe to data plan if there is no WiFi. It must be noted that klia2 is not a WiFi zone, except at certain outlets operating in the terminal.
klia2 pales in comparison with major airports in the region in respect of internet connectivity. Foreigners arriving in the country expect Wifi facility to be available for their convenience before they purchase prepaid data plans.
"We are only five years to Vision 2020, but still cannot appreciate the technology, giving an impression how obsolete the people manning the klia2 security," he said, although KL is touted as among the top cities in finance, business and administration centre.
Air Asia CEO Aireen Omar was quoted as saying, "We are forced to use a check-in system which has a very high cost compared to using our own system."
The Malaysian-owned no frills airline is the anchor tenant of klia2. Built at a cost of RM4 billion from an initial costing of RM1.9 billion due to overruns, Air Asia has sent a letter of demand amounting to RM409 million.
The claim was over cumulative losses since the airline adopted klia2 as the hub of its operation. Air Asia, since May 2, 2014.
Original Source: dailyexpress.com.my
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