MANILA, Philippines – Budget airline AirAsia drew flak on social media as the “worst” and “lousiest” airline after Facebook user Claudette Cledera shared her bad experience during her travel on her social media account.

In a Facebook post on December 30, Cledera said she and her family were about to board the plane when a guard grabbed her carry-on suitcase. The guard weighed the suitcase without permission and said that the baggage weighed over the allowed limit.

Cledera was shocked when she saw that her suitcase went over 7 kilograms (kg). When she checked again with her parents, her suitcase only weighed approximately 4 kgs.

“I absolutely did not add any new things to my suitcase and actually even left a few more things with my mom before leaving the hotel. So it was clearly impossible for my suitcase to weigh more than 7 kgs,” Cledera said.

Cledera added that she would have complained if all passengers went through the same process and if it was done at the check-in counter and not at the boarding gate.

For overweight baggages, AirAsia charges P800/kg at the check-in counter and P1500/kg at the boarding gate.

As of posting, Cledera’s post racked up atleast 6,900 reactions and has been shared at least 3,530 times.

‘Lousiest airline’

In another post on Thursday, December 28, Cavite Governor Jesus Crispin Remulla slammed AirAsia for being the “lousiest airline in the world” on his offical Facebook page.

Remulla said that his 88-year-old mother-in-law Vilma Diaz was charged HK$60 (P384) and an additional HK$450 (P2,882) just so somebody would assist her.

“Do airline passengers have rights? When you are old and weak, airlines like AirAsia will not provide you a wheelchair. They will not lend you any,” the governor said.

“They will not care unless we boycott. Senior citizens are given rights in the Philippines by all the other airlines. Except AirAsia na mukhang pera (greedy). But they have no rights according to AirAsia, even as PWDs (Persons with Disabilities) in Macau. Lousy,” he added.

Updated rules

Many netizens agreed with the posts and urged AirAsia to review the policy as well as to be consistent in implementing their rules.

In AirAsia’s website, the rules in cabin baggage allowance was last updated on December 21.

Passengers are allowed to carry one piece of cabin bag onboard that will fit in the overhead compartment and must not exceed 56cm x 36cm x 23cm including handles, wheels and side pockets.

In addition, each passenger is also allowed to carry one piece of laptop bag, handbag, backpack or any other small bag that must fit under the seat in front of you and will not exceed 40cm x 30cm x 10cm.

The total permitted weight for two pieces must not exceed 7kg.

AirAsia has not yet released any formal statement.– Rappler.com

*HK$1 = P6.41