This morning the 7th of January 2011, MAS staff in the Penang Airport - Malaysia refused me to let me fly to Bandung – Indonesia with the message that I need a visa to go there. In spite of my assurance that a Visa on Arrival (VOA) is given in Bandung, they insisted I could not fly there. My ticket was cancelled. I contacted the MAS in KL and in Penang, but both referred me to an MAS E-mail address. I am aware that it is the responsibility of the passenger to check whether he needs a Visa or not, therefore I visited, long before booking, the websites of:
the Indonesian Embassy
www.kbrikuallumpur.org in Kuala Lumpur
the Indonesian Embassy
www.embassyofindonesia.org in the US
the Indonesian Embassy
www.kbri-canberra.org.au in Australia
the Lonely Planet travel Forum
www.lonelyplanet.com Bandung Visa on Arrival?
All are
very clear that a VOA is given to people from the Netherlands (my nationality) on the Hussein Sastranegara airport in Bandung. Moreover there are many more websites with the same message. In conclusion I did my homework (booked the ticket already on the 22nd of December) and do not understand why I was not allowed to fly. I am a frequent traveler and am not so stupid not to verify whether I need a visa or not. If I, as a layman, can find that I do not need a visa for Bandung, why can the MAS not do the same, being the professionals.
Please do not come with the excuse that there is no refund on this ticket. I blame the MAS for the full 100% and hope that you come up with some decent compensation. The MAS spoiled my holidays, made friends in Bandung unhappy and gave me now a lot of extra work.
If you need any further info I will be happy to supply them.
Kind regards from an unhappy customer,
Any suggestions?????