KUALA LUMPUR, 2 JAN – His dreams of a memorable 62nd anniversary reunion with his New Zealand air force course-mates down under, was simply dashed.
A disheartened Brigadier-General (Rtd) Datuk Soon Lian Cheng expressed his dismay after AirAsia X recently cancelled his flight altogether, from Kuala Lumpur to Auckland.
Relating his episode, Soon said that he had planned for the reunion on Feb 29-March 2 next year, for a great many years ahead as the only foreign course-mate and had booked his flight ticket as early as last May.
“Imagine my horror when the airline sent me an e-mail just before Christmas, to notify me that all flights to Aukland were suspended.
“I am sure there are many other travellers experiencing the predicament that I have.
“I was not given the option for any other alternate flights, or arrangements made to fly with other airlines.
“To make matters worse, AirAsia X gave me the run-around when approached and refused to refund me the almost RM3,000 I had paid for the flight.
“They were only prepared to offer me a credit-equivalent to fly to other destinations.
“As a pensioner, who retired from the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) in 1996, I am now stuck and can ill-afford another ticket to fly with another airline.
“All my course-mates are very aged in their eighties and it could well be our last such reunion – one that should not be missed,” said Soon, 82, calling on AirAsia to undertake ethical business practices.
Soon added that he has now lost confidence with AirAsia, with whom he had flown hundreds of flights around the world since the airline’s inception in 1997.
“When AirAsia was set up soon after my retirement, I looked upon it as Godsend especially for a pensioner like me who could pre-book very affordable flights months in advance,” said Soon.
The planned reunion for ‘Aircrew Course 36’ pilots trained on the piston-engine Harvard by the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) was to be held at Ohakea air base near Palmerston North.
Soon and the late Buang Ahmad (who later became his brother-in-law) were the first two Malayans to be selected by the RMAF to be trained at the RNZAF Station Wigram in Christchurch in January 1962.
“The Wigram station was later reclaimed by the aboriginal Maori as their settlement, hence the reunion is held at Ohakea air base,” said Soon, who retired after 36 years and had served as RMAF Inspector-General, Malaysian Armed Forces Defence College commandant, the Headquarters Integrated Area Defence System in Butterworth deputy commander and RMAF east Malaysia commander.
He recalled his five-day journey to New Zealand in 1962.
Soon and Buang rode a train from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore, then boarded a RNZAF Handley Page Hastings (four-engine propellor) aeroplane to Darwin and Brisbane in Australia, before landing at Whenuapai RNZAF base in New Zealand.
“We then flew by a twin-engine propellor Devon (de Havilland Dove) aeroplane from Whenuapai and finally landed at Harewood International Airport in Christchurch.
“We flew to Christchurch instead, by-passing Wigram as there was a Formula One car race there at that time – with the legendary Sterling Moss competing.
“On a clear blue summer sky, the aircraft captain gave us a scenic cruise past the mountains in the north and the Southern Alps.
“Our (Buang and I) arrival also received the attention of the local Press who featured us in a newspaper,” said Soon. – airtimes.my
#AirTimes #Malaysia #Pertahanan
