Last week, I wrote to complain to the CEO of AirAsia, with a copy of the letter to the transport minister as well as to the deputy minister in charge of the Public Complaints Bureau under the Prime Minister's Department.

It was about AirAsia arbitrarily changing our flight schedules for destinations we had booked seven months ago. This is not the first time it has happened to me this year, but the fourth time since January. Last year, it happened to me a couple of times, and enough is enough.

I noticed AirAsia advertises extensively to many destinations including popular destinations like Jakarta, Bangkok etc. But judging from my past experience, chances are that AirAsia is likely to reschedule or cancel the flights at the last minute.

It usually texts an SMS message you in the middle of the night for flights that are going to take place the very next day. Sound familiar?

I strongly believe AirAsia has been doing just this all the time - book the customers, collect the money and then postpone or cancel the flights with impunity. It's time that consumers lodge a complaint to put an end to such unethical business practices.

In my present case, AirAsia changed not only the time of departure, but extended the departure date, making a five-day holiday a seven-day one. This throws a spanner into the works in terms of applying for leave and rearranging the babysitter's dates plus the interruption to my work schedule etc.

I asked AirAsia about a refund as my wife can now no longer make it for this holiday. AirAsia had the cheek to tell me that under the ‘terms and conditions', I will be required to pay a penalty of RM80 if I wish to cancel her booking. In other words, I am financially penalised for my miseries created by AirAsia themselves.

AirAsia operates in Australia and UK. They have a Fair Trading Act and Consumers Guaranteed Act. AirAsia will be taken to the cleaners and if they were to behave like how they do in Malaysia and other Asian countries.

Why the double standards? Maybe in Bolehland, AirAsia can get away with murder.

Then I received a personal call from T Murugiah, the deputy Minister in charge of the Public Complaints Bureau to enquire if I had received his e-mail and also to ask me for additional information pertaining to my complaint.

He advised me that his officials will be meeting AirAsia next week to further look into my complaint. The call took me by total surprise.

I only expected an e-mail response. Here, we have a junior minister who walks the talk. As for AirAsia, I don't hold too much hope of them replying, neither for the minister of transport.