Pilgrims caught in a fix
Travel agency leaves 453 stranded after flights ‘did not take place’
An unbelievably cheap package for umrah pilgrims has left 453 Malaysians stranded in Mecca with no flights to Kuala Lumpur in sight after five days. It was no surprise that the almost 50% discount to RM3,800 was fraught with problems from the start, with flights out delayed too, because of the unlicensed company. Some of those stranded are worried about their visas which will expire soon while others wonder if they could be back home by the new year. Umrah and Haj Travel Agents Association warns: if it doesn’t fit the bill, don’t trust it.
PETALING JAYA: A group of 453 Malaysians, who are supposed to be home five days ago from their umrah pilgrimage, are anxious about how they will find a way out of Saudi Arabia after being left stranded at the airport twice.
The group had gone to the Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Medina, all packed for home, on Dec 22 but somehow, the flight “did not take place”.
Yesterday, the pilgrims were at the airport again, on another promised flight at 3am (10pm Saudi time) and again, they were disappointed.
The pilgrims flew to Saudi Arabia on Dec 11 on a chartered flight after buying a package tour for the pilgrimage, according to one of the Malaysians affected.
“I heard about this umrah package from my friend, who had gone on a pilgrimage with them (same agency) previously and everything went along fine,” said the pilgrim, who only wished to be known as Izura M.
She said the agency went by another name before this and has since rebranded itself.
“The package was usually priced at RM6,800 but we only paid RM3,800 for it,” she said, adding that the rest of the sum was apparently paid for by way of “donation”.
She added that all her friends had taken up a similar offer earlier.
However, the tour had run into obstacles from the start.
Their flight to Saudi Arabia was first set for Dec 3 but was postponed for two days.
“And even that didn’t take place either,” said Izura, who spoke to The Star from a hotel in Mecca.
“In the end, the agency chartered a flight and flew more than 400 of us on Dec 11 under the name of another travel agency,” said Izura, adding that the second agency’s name was written in her umrah visa, itself issued on Dec 6.
Izura, who went on the pilgrimage with her husband and mother, said the pilgrims moved from hotel to hotel while waiting for the promised flight home.
“We shifted to the Ramada in Mecca after our flight did not take place and on Dec 25, we moved to another hotel, slightly further from Mecca,” she said.
“So far, I trust this agency, as they have been providing for our stay and meals ... we haven’t been left at the airport or on the streets to fend for ourselves but everyone is still worried.”
Izura, who had budgeted for a 10day stay in Mecca and Medina, said the fact that the agency had been seeing to the costs of their “extra” stay was a relief.
“I heard from some of my friends that it costs about 45,000 Saudi riyals (RM48,963.84) a day to put us up ... it’s not cheap, that’s why I still trust them,” she said.
Several of her fellow pilgrims, like her, are worried about missing work.
“I’m supposed to report back to work today (Tuesday), so I had to call my superiors and let them know that I had to extend my stay here as my flights have been delayed twice now.”
Another pilgrim, who only wanted to be known as Nasya, was wor ried about her Saudi Arabian visa expiring.
“My visa is only till Jan 5, next year, and so far, I haven’t had any confirmation about when we can fly home,” said the accountant, who travelled with eight of her family members.
She said that she did not check if the travel agency had a valid Special Umrah Licence (LKU) as the agency came with recommendations from her friends.
Umrah and Haj Travel Agents Association president Datuk Seri Razali Mohd Sham said the agency responsible for the stranded pilgrims was unlicensed.
The current agency, Razali said, was just a rebranded travel company shut down by the Tourism and Culture Ministry for pilgrimage fraud earlier.
“The package price is false since it’s only RM3,900. Anything below RM5,000 cannot be trusted. The flight is RM3,200, the visa fee is another RM200 or so. Your hotel stay cannot be just RM200,” he pointed out.
Razali urged umrah pilgrims to check whether their travel agency had a valid licence to offer umrah packages.
“There are only 264 travel agencies licensed to offer umrah packages in the country,” said Razali.
Earlier this year, Tabung Haji (TH) had advised the public to be wary of dubious haj packages and promotions.
It also stressed that any individual or tourist agency offering haj packages without the necessary licence from TH is committing an offence, and action can be taken against them.