LAWYER TAKES MAS TO TRIBUNAL OVER ADVERTISEMENT

SHAH ALAM (Malaysia), March 25 (Bernama) -- A lawyer has taken Malaysia Airlines (MAS) to the Tribunal for Consumer Claims here over an advertisement on Oct 20, 2008 with the heading "What You See Is What You Get".

Jim Pui Yee @ Caroline, 35, from Kota Damansara said she felt cheated and
confused by the advertisement that offered cheap tickets booked from Oct 20 to
Nov 9 last year for flights between March 1 and July 20, 2009.

She said the advertisement clearly stated that a one-way flight from Kuala
Lumpur to the Tullamarine airport in Melbourne during the period was RM734 but
she was made to pay RM3,096 for a return ticket.

She made the booking for the return ticket on Nov 3, 2008 for flights
between March 7 and 15, 2009 and therefore, the price she was supposed to pay
was only RM1,468 (RM734 x 2), she said.

She filed the claim to get back the difference between the amount she had
paid and the price she was supposed to get, namely RM1,628.

"I believe MAS never intended to offer cheap fares for Kuala
Lumpur-Melbourne flights as advertised. What I understand from the advertisement
is that cheap fares were offered for Kuala Lumpur-Melbourne flights as long as
the tickets were booked and bought within the promotion period.

"I never expected the price advertised would be altered or raised and I also
never expected MAS to cheat and mislead the public by giving a wrong picture in
an advertisement," she said.

MAS was not represented in Tuesday's hearing.

Tribunal president Ahmad Hisham Kamaruddin said: "I set April 23 for MAS to
file the defence and if their fail to do so within the period, we will proceed
with the judgement and decision."

-- BERNAMA