Closed toilets leave much to be desired

I WAS prompted to write this after reading the report, “MAS told to look into complaints” ( The Star, Feb 9), on the Transport Minister’s comments about the toilet facilities in the business class section of Malaysia Airlines’ (MAS) new Airbus A350-900 XWB.

My wife and I went for a holiday to Melbourne on MAS last year. For the outward flight on Dec 21, the aircraft was an A330-900. For the return flight on Jan 8, the aircraft was an A330-300.

We were not happy with the facilities in both aircraft. We travelled economy and faced the same situation on both flights.

One toilet on each side of the two aisles in the middle section of the aircraft were not available to passengers. A notice to this effect was displayed on the doors of both toilets.

To our surprise, two toilets in the midsection of the A330-300 on our return journey also carried a similar notice. We were surprised and disappointed as the planes on both journeys were practically full and the demand on toilets was high.

We could not comprehend the rationale of MAS closing two toilets in the economy section of the aircraft. Surely it could not be due to an economy drive?

Another major issue was the absence of lights on the floor of the A330-300 aircraft on our return flight, which was at night. Many passengers had to use their mobile phones to light their way to the toilets. Our national carrier has yet to reach the service excellence that was its hallmark in the past. CN Kuala Lumpur