My first airplane ride was in 1976 from Penang to Johor Bahru as an unaccompanied five-year-old. I remember I had a lovely stewardess who looked after me for the duration of that short flight.
I was plied with juices and snacks, managed to score a miniature replica aircraft, and I remember it as being the most momentous occasion from my childhood.
My love affair with aeroplanes, and specifically with Malaysia Airlines, which at that time was called Malaysian Airline System (MAS), started at this point.
It took about 12 years before I got on an airplane again. Fast forward to 1988 and my second, and equally thrilling flight, was from Penang to London, via Kuala Lumpur, as I started my education overseas. And, again, it was on MAS.
It was such an exciting time for me, as a teenager. Sat in the ginormous Boeing 747, the 13-hour journey was unforgettable. The cabin crew were spectacularly gorgeous, efficient, and hospitable.
When I studied abroad for about six years, I came back home a number of times. As a struggling student, I had no choice but to use the services of cheaper airlines to come back to Penang. But, each of those long-haul flights were nothing in comparison to the Malaysia Airlines experience.
Upon returning home and securing a job, I was fortunate that my early work life allowed for lots of international travel. My love affair with Malaysia Airlines continued. I flew multiple times to London and Manchester with the airline. And, to European cities like Paris, Frankfurt, and Amsterdam. It was the best way for Malaysians to fly to South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. I could fly direct from Penang to Chennai, or to Hong Kong.
The nicest part of being away in a foreign land was to step onto a Malaysia Airline aircraft in a far flung airport. I always felt I was back home in Malaysia as soon as I entered the airplane. The cabin crew would start speaking in Bahasa Malaysia to me, I would get my first taste of a proper teh-tarik, and if I was lucky enough to travel on Business Class, the worlds best satay was always on MH.
Malaysia Airlines won multiple international awards in those years that I was a frequent flyer.
Speaking of being a frequent flyer, I slowly moved up on their loyalty programme, Enrich. Starting with the blue card, I worked at building my air miles to reach the silver card, and finally after about 20 years, I reached the gold tier. The benefits were outstanding with fast tracks, and fabulous airport lounges.
But heres the irony, somewhere along the way, Malaysia Airlines, which was once the pride of our nation and an internationally acclaimed airline, began to spiral on a downward trajectory. And eventually, it has become a sick-man of the skies.
Many attribute the crises in Malaysia Airlines to the two notorious incidents of MH370 and MH17 in 2014. There is no doubt that these two tragic occurrences precipitated the decline of the airline.
And of course, like with other airlines around the world, the pandemic years took a further toll on it. However, those of us who were regular flyers with our national airline know that the rot began to set much earlier.
The decay of Malaysia Airlines coincided with the privatisation, or the more salubrious term used in our country, the corporatisation of this national heritage project. Like many, now failed projects, our government sold off about a third of the airline to an entrepreneur in 1994.
In seven short years, the airlines shares plummeted through losses from serial mismanagement. And eventually in 2001, the government bought back the shares. But the decision caused a public uproar because MAS shares were, by then, trading at a much lower value, yet our government acquired back the stake for the same price it sold it for. It was a classic bailout for an alleged entrepreneur crony.
After this unfortunate spell, our national flag carrier was beset with various problems. Our best pilots and engineers left for greener pastures. A former director of flight operations for the airline commented that it goes without saying that if you do not pay your employees well, they will leave for better offers. And apparently Malaysia Airlines pilots have one of the lowest take home salaries in the skies. How does a company retain talent if this happens?
Of late, the airline has been plagued with a spate of technical problems that has resulted in odious delays and cancellations. Finally, a few days ago, the transport minister came out with a statement that a shortage of aircraft engineers, and mechanical components were the cause of the recent flight disruptions.
Perhaps if we keep the cronies away from our public services, stop making everything political, leave race and religion out of the equation, and just focus on meritocracy, some of our iconic national heritage projects and services will get back on track.
How about we start with restoring Malaysia Airlines to its former glory?
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.