KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 5 — New consumer protections that were recently gazetted mean air travellers now have the option of requesting full refunds for flights delayed for five hours or longer.

According to the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom), this is in line with the latest amendments to the Malaysian Aviation Consumer Protection Code (MACPC) 2016, which took effect on Monday.

This means travellers may opt for a full refund of their fare if they do not accept alternative flights offered in place of those they originally booked but were severely delayed.

Mavcom said that while airlines could still offer vouchers or credits, the choice must be given for consumers to opt for cash refunds.

Airlines have different procedures for making the claims, but all entail contacting them directly.

The specific conditions for the refund may also vary from one airline to the next.

Malaysia Airlines

For the Malaysian flag carrier, refunds may be requested by calling their customer careline at 1-300-88-3000 from within Malaysia 603-7843-3000 from outside Malaysia.

Once you connect, the agent will require your booking reference and verification before they proceed with your claim.

The agent will run through the checklist to determine if your flight was sufficiently delayed to entitle you to a refund.

If so, the refund will be submitted and processed within 14 days to the original form of payment.

AirAsia

Refund or claim requests can be made through the airline’s live chat on its website.

You will be made fill in the prompts and provide details such as the booking number, passenger information, and more.

Flights that are eligible for refunds will have details pre-populated, allowing you to go through the process more quickly.

Currently, AirAsia’s flight D7 219 from Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur on September 1st, which was rescheduled due to operational reasons, and Z2-189 from Osaka to Manila on August 28, which was delayed due to bad weather, are eligible for compensation.

Batik Air

For this airline, you may submit your claims using the refund request tab on the Batik Air website.

Again, it involves filling and submitting the request form online.

But don’t dally, refund requests not submitted within 90 days of the delayed flight will not be processed.

Caveat: All airlines also require that refunds for tickets bought via travel agents must be referred to the travel agent.

Mavcom also stipulates that if the resolution is unsatisfactory and is in contradiction to the guidelines, they can submit a complaint with proper documentation to their consumer hotline at 1-800-6966 or through the flysmart app.