I refer to the letter MAS missing the consumer runaway completely . As a Malaysian who has been living in Singapore for the last eight years, I find it amusing that Abdar Rahman Koya's sentiments mirror Singaporeans' reaction to their own national airline, Singapore Airlines, and probably the way Hong Kongers feel about Cathay Pacific.

Over here, it is common to hear Singaporeans complain about the 'poor' service standards on board Singapore Airlines, its 'expensive' fares, the perpetually busy call centres and that their in-flight crew is 'nice' only to Caucasians.

Truth of the matter is no airline is perfect. If you travel often enough, you will encounter the occasional hiccups and you will also get the occasional delightful surprises in service levels. In my case, I have probably flown with every airline in the region - in both the premium and economy classes - due to the nature of my job, which requires me to travel extensively.

I believe it is natural that most of us tend to have greater expectations of our national airline, sometimes to the point of being critical of everything that it does. But have we considered the possibility that the other airlines that we hold high in esteem also have the same faults? I have travelled with other airlines out there which are extremely stringent about excess baggage and have simply refused to waive the charges, no matter how hard you plead.

Over the years, I have experienced both the extremes of customer service from these airlines, from the most horrendous to the most pleasant. I have been surprisingly upgraded from Economy Class to Business (several times), missed flights due to delayed connections, had a shouting match with a stewardess who was extremely rude, have had lost and misplaced baggage and even had an airline representative who accompanied and stayed with me for half a day at a clinic when I fell ill en route to Beijing.

So, let's give Malaysia Airlines a break. They deserve it. They may not be perfect, but they are not that bad either. I have numerous friends Malaysians and non-Malaysians alike - who swear by Malaysia Airlines for their travel needs, just as there are other friends who feel as strongly about Singapore Airlines or Cathay Pacific or Thai International.

With any airline, or any company for the matter, that has over 10,000 employees, it is impossible to maintain a consistently high service level at every customer touch point. There will be lapses just as there will be airline personnel who will go beyond the call of duty in the name of customer service. We just have to balance the different perspectives and learn to deal with it.