Gabriel shows his ticket from MasWings for his flight on Feb 14 but his name was dropped from the passengers list on that day.
MIRI (Feb 18): An aggrieved former Saban community leader from Ulu Baram has called out rural air service operator MasWings for stopping him from boarding a flight from Miri to Long Banga last week despite having a valid ticket.
Ex-Penghulu Gabriel Jau Liran was checking in for his flight on February 14 when told by the counter staff that his name was no longer in the system despite his prior booking, forcing him to wait another four days in Miri for his next flight to return to his village.
“I had already purchased a return ticket but opted for earlier flight instead of Feb 11 from Long Banga to Miri with return date on Feb 14, but the counter staff told me that it was no longer valid,” he said.
Because of the unpredictable weather, Gabriel decided to take an earlier flight for his medical check-up in Miri Hospital.
He was told to see an officer at the airport and he would be issued another ticket for the next flight on Feb 18, for which he paid RM10 more.
Gabriel said he is highlighting this plight as the people in Long Banga and surrounding areas in Upper Baram are already facing reduced passenger capacity for the twice-weekly flight, compounded by the difficulties, including unfavourable weather, in this sector.
A Rela captain for Long Banga, Gabriel said the airport there serves a population of about 2,000 people from six villages, logging camps, school and clinic here and the alternative is the long ride by logging road to Miri.
Among them are the Saban community from Long Banga, Kelabits and Penan communities, timber workers and staff of the government agencies there.
MasWings has reduced the number of passengers in its 19-passenger Twin Otter aircraft flight to Long Banga to only nine.
“I hope the government will look into this problem faced by the people from the interior as we have to come to Miri not because we love to do it but out of necessity especially for our health check-ups and medicine,” he said.
He is also calling on MasWings to revert to the old system of carrying up to 15 passengers instead of nine currently and increase its flight frequency to Long Banga, saying the government subsidies for RAS should be utilised efficiently.
Meanwhile, The Borneo Post has reached out to MasWings and is awaiting its comments on Gabriel’s complaint.