EVER flown in an airline and seated next to its toilet? You can only do so if you're flying economy class. If you're in Business or First, the toilets are far away from you and you are spared the noise and smell that emanates from the small room.
I was flying back from Dubai two days ago and found myself seated next to the entrance of one of the toilets in economy class. It was a night flight, meaning I could have at least had a nap during the eight-hour flight.
Actually, I couldn't. I just couldn't get a decent shut-eye because, I soon learned, the toilet is the most frequented part of the aeroplace when its in the sky. And not all passengers close the toilet door after use. Someone else have to walk up and shut the damn door!
As I sat at seat number 30H, it made me wonder whether chief executives of airlines or board members ever had the opportunity or privilege of occupying such a seat. I doubt it very much. No real reason for them to do so anyway.
But if they do, they'll realise the discomfot paying passengers have to endure during such a long flight. The doors keep opening and closing; the sound of the flush is enough to make you squirm each time it's being used; the smell of the detergent is not all that pleasing; and some passengers have the habit of 'forgetting' to close the door after using the facility.
I say the airlines should just remove the seat next to each toilet in economy class. There is a curtain that separates the compartment from the toilet, but that's hardly a help. In fact, during the night, the curtain was hardly used.
Removing the seats won't be such a big dent to the airlines' revenue, I'm sure. To help airline bosses or owners decide on this, they should make extra effort to sit next to the toilet the next time they fly. In fact, they should disguise themselves as ordinary passengers and can then see some of the antics of their cabin crew.
Datuk Idris Jala - you game for this?
PS - While you're at it, check the earphones you give us for in-flight entertainment. I won't say more!
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Removing the seats won't be such a big dent to the airlines' revenue, I'm sure. To help airline bosses or owners decide on this, they should make extra effort to sit next to the toilet the next time they fly. In fact, they should disguise themselves as ordinary passengers and can then see some of the antics of their cabin crew.
-its not all about the big dent.Its the space consumed should be fully utilized-
now we focus on MH ke?
since the opporunity arise, i too would not miss this chance to mention about the blankets.
blankets in MH are always wrap for freshness but freshness was afar.
on my recent trip to europe, i sensed a very foul smell around my seat, but was very annoyed to find out that the supposedly fresh blankets are actually the source of that intimidating odour.
the crew we quick to replace once notified but much to my dimay the same happen on my return trip home.
idris: your cleansing unit is too fast or the packaging/wrapping unit is too slow for i suspect that the blanket was still damp when it was wrapped.
Dear LED,
TQ for your comment. Appreciate it. I agree that space utilisation is important in any airline operation. That's revenue. That's payload. But let's also consider passenger comfort, or discomfort, as the case may be.
Try this instead. When checking avoid coming late because you most probably will get those last dreaded seats at the back. Or you always request at the check in counter for you to be placed furthur away from the toilets (that is if there are other seats available for you to make the change). So the best is to check in early :)
Dato'
Take it fronm someone who has been there.....
The Airline bosses do not see that as they don't travel EY!
And nowadays, they don't even travel on their own airline!
There are many things that people with my experience can tell the bosses, but they almost never do listen! So if you can, first tell them to stop their discriminatory practises! :)
After that tell them to improve on their services, which also ultimately means their space to paying passengers......
Lets have tea..........and I can tell you much more horro stories....
Next time don't take economy class ticket. Take Business or First class. Then, you will be smiling all the way. Or, this will be suitable for you...you swim or rent a sampan. Ada fahem ke?
Sdr Pahit Manis,
In reality Sdr, Mas flies some of the oldest fleet with the most basic onboard facilities in this region.
Its Boeing 737-400 is perhaps 15-20years old. Look at the toilets. If they're the flush type, these are old aircraft. If they're suction, they're newer.
But how many passengers care about the toilets? I do because I'm a toilet person. I like good clean toilets. I use them regularly and they're a good place to think.
And in the case of the economy class/coach, which I now travel on since leaving the employ of a big company, the toilet is the only place to enjoy momentary privacy.
Mas Airbus 330 fleet is also old. So is its Boeing 747-400. Only its Boeing 777 fleet can be considered new. Even my 4-year-old grandson told me that SIA video and computer games are better.
Since this year, Mas no longer serves Zurich so they have to travel SIA to KL via Singapore.
But we must acknowledge that Mas aircraft are well-maintained. Mas engineers and technicians are good, but they being stolen by other airlines in the region.
With due respect to Mr Idris Jala, we must all recognize that he’s not an airline man. He may be a good manager but he is not a service industry person. He came from one of the crudest industries – petroleum and only a small part of it. If I am not mistaken, he used to manage Shell’s MDS (middle distillate synthesis) plant in Bintulu.
So service may not be his strong point. He may be what they glamorously call in management turnaround manager. Or you may say a bean counter. Still, Mas is doing better financially as a smaller and less glamorous airlines.
The future holds some hope for travellers as Mas takes delivery of the new generation 737-700/800 for domestic and regional services and the turboprop ATR 42/72 for its low fare operator, Firefly.
Actually I pity those Mas flight and cabin crew. They’re good people. They still come to talk to me about what’s right and what’s wrong with Mas whenever they see me in one corner of the coach.
Maybe you and I are nostalgic because we used to cover airlines and we knew some old timers of the industry like the late Raja Tan Sri Mohar, Tan Sri Sow Huat Lai and Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahman and later on Tan Sri Tajuddin Ramli.
Masa berlalu Sdr. Yang kekal hanyalah kenangan!
Minta maaf Datuk, menympang sikit
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Yang Dikejar Tak Dapat, Yang Dikendung, Keciciran
Awang rasa keciwa bila Awang bersiar-siar, meronda-ronda disekitar Putrajaya dan Cyberjaya. Awang dapati masih banyak Presint-Presint di Putrajaya serta kawasan-kawasan di Cyberjaya yang tergantung, beku, tidak bergerak projek pembangunannya.
Apa sudah jadi? Putrajaya dan Cyberjaya sebenarnya adalah satu projek yang melambangkan kemajuan dan perubahan pembangunan dan tamadun bangsa dan rakyat Malaysia. Ia akan menjadi salah satu ikon pencapaian Wawasan 2020 nanti. Tapi jika berdasarkan kepada progress sekarang, Nampak gayanya sebahagian projek di Putrajaya dan lebih teruk lagi di Cyberjaya akan menjadi GAJAH PUTIH. Lebih mengeciwakan Awang tengok keadaan di Cyberjaya semakin teruk. Nilai komersil semakin hilang. Projek tak bergerak, Awang dimaklumkan ramai pelabur telah beralih arah.
Tapi yang memuatkan Awang dan golongan Marhain serta Orang Kampung hairan ialah kenapa disibuk-sibukan nak buat WPI, NCER, ECER dan bermacam macam lagi ER. Benda yang dah ada tapi belum dijayakan sepenuhnya di biarkan terkonteng-konteng, sedangkan benda yang dirancang tidak jelas hala tujunya serta masih kelam mekanisme pelaksanaannya. Awang dapat input Kedai Kopi katanya WPI bertujuan memberi banyak favor kepada orang Singapura. Apa betul perkara ini?
Oleh itu, untuk mengelak sebarang spekulasi negatif dan fitnah masyarakat, elok lah AAB dan barisan kepimpinannya menjelaskan perkara ini sejelas-jelasnya.
Jika tidak, rumusan yang Awang boleh buat ialah:
AAB nak tunjukkan legacynya, sebab itu beliau sanggup pinggirkan Putrajaya dan Cyberjaya yang mana menurut beliau adalah legacy TDM.
Semua projek-projek baru di bawah AAB mempunyai kepentingan besar dan ekslusif kepada AAB, Kamaludin, Khairy dan segala konco-konconya.
Nampak jelas AAB hanya dilihat baik dari segi luaran, tetapi hakikatnya seorang yang rakus dengan kuasa dan harta. Sebab itu beliau bermati-matian mempertahankan kedudukannya. Kata-kata perancangan peralihan sekadar untuk menyedapkan hati orang UMNO yang sedang marah. hakikatnya, jauh sekali KJ dan Kamaludin untuk membenarkan AAB berundur. Orang UMNO di"kencing" (maksudnnya ditipu) hidup-hidup oleh AAB,KJ, Kamaludin dan konco-konconya.
Segala perancangan dan tindakan yang dibuat selepas PRU12 ini adalah usaha untuk membeli balik keremukan hati Marhain/Orang Kampung yang sebelum ini tidak dipedulikan oleh AAB. Tapi, silap, Marhain/Orang Kampung sekarang dah lain, kami bukannya dungu dan tak boleh menilai. Malah isu judiciary pun kami tahu apa yang tersirat disebaliknya. Tak payah lah AAB nak bermain wayang. Melalui input Kedai Kopi (Orang Kampung macam kami mana mampu nak bersembang kat hotel) pun kami dah boleh membuat analisis dan konkulsif terhadap apa yang terjadi disekeliling.
Untuk itu, mohon sesiapa dapat memberi penjelasan kepada perkara tersebut. Ingat! Orang Kampung pun berhak nak tahu. Jangan ingat kami boleh diketepikan begitu sahaja.
Awang tak mahu peribahasa Melayu “ YANG DIKEJAR TAK DAPAT, YANG DIKENDUNG KECICIRAN” terhadap semua projek yang direncanakan untk kebaikan rakyat Malaysia.
Awang Maya
Posted by Awang Maya at 10:14 PM 0 comments
awangmaya.blogspot.com
it is dato' seri now :)
Sdra AKJ the Scribe,
Ramai orang mahu terus menaikki MAS jika terbang ke luar negara. Tetapi hari ini, keadaan sudah berubah.Hari ini sudah ada saingan. Ada banyak lagi syarikat penerbangan yang memberi kadar tambang yang lebih kompetitif. MAS perlu ada pembaharuan, bukan hanya dari segi pegurusan kewangannya. MAS perlu mencari jalan untuk mendekati semula pelanggannya yang setia. Saya cuba beberapa kali untuk mendapatkan kad Enrich yang baru supaya ia tidak menunjukkan tarikh gunapakai yang sudah luput. Saya pernah bertelagah dengan setaf MAS dalam hal ini. Mereka berjanji akan memperbetulkan keadaan. Tetapi hingga hari ini, saya masih lagi menggunakan kad Enrich yang tarikh matinya ialah 2007.
Saya harap pengurusan MAS akan memberi penelitian kepada semua aspek perkhidmatan syarikat itu. Jika tidak MH (Malaysian Hospitaliti) akan jadi Malaysia Hampa!
I still prefer MAS to Air Asia. But I only fly when I got the money or govt paying for it. There's no expiry date on my new Enrich card. MAS sent it some time last year. I had to fill a form for that though.
Mohd. Ramesh
Putrajaya
Sdr Pahit Manis,
When I wrote my last comment, I was in the capital of an Asean country.
I was invited to talk to a European multinational with investment in several Asian countries, including ours.
It was doing what it called CROP -- country risk over progremmes. Its Asian and European managers are reviewing Malaysia's country risk following the March 8 elections.
I flew with a Mas 737 "classic" -- one with flush toilets. It was on time and cabin service was good. But Mas fares are higher than most regional competitors.
Thank you.
"Its Boeing 737-400 is perhaps 15-20years old. Look at the toilets. If they're the flush type, these are old aircraft. If they're suction, they're newer."
Modern commercial aircraft toilet waste system uses a vacuum system to collect, transport and store toilet waste. The waste system provides toilets throughout the passenger cabin. This is very much different from the normal toilet we normally use in our house or wherever we go. In aircraft, the system uses portable water to flush the toilet bowls and the vacuum provide the differential pressure to transport the waste through toilet drain lines to waste tanks in the bulk cargo compartment. A flush control unit controls the toilet flushing cycle. This unit sequences and times the cycle including the rinse water valve, flush valve and vacuum blower operation.
On ground or at lower altitudes the vacuum is created by a vacuum blower meanwhile at higher altitude the differential pressure between the cabins and the ambient provides the vacuum means for the toilet system.
http://doraemon1972.blogspot.com/2007/10/howwwzattt-for-waste-disposal.html
Thank you.
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