People with grievances about AirAsia's punctuality, delays or cancellation of flights should go beyond writing letters to the editor and lodge a complaint against the airline together with documentary proof with the Department of Civil Aviation, the Ministry of Transport or the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry.

Remember the complaint to the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry that AirAsia's published low prices were misleading?

When the minister acted, AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandez hit back arguing that the advertisement clearly stated that those prices were starting prices and were limited in number. He further said that it was standard practice for budget airlines elsewhere and that AirAsia was helping boost tourism (or something to that effect). The minister relented.

Without an official complaint, these government bodies usually can't act, so if someone's aggrieved with AirAsia, they must lodge a complaint if they want something done. Perhaps they might also want to enlist the assistance of consumer associations like the Consumers Association of Penang or the Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca).

Another option is to sue for inconvenience caused, loss of business, or missed connections etc. resulting from delays or cancellations.

A 'market forces remedy' would be to introduce competition in the budget airline sector by encouraging more budget airlines in Malaysia. For now at least, AirAsia is the dominant player in this segment. Malaysia Airlines caters for a different market and is not really a competitor.

Someone also suggested posting complaints about AirAsia to an independent airline evaluation body. But quite frankly, if one is running a budget hotel, it's no skin off one's nose to not be cited among the top five star hotels worldwide.

If these delays are due to a business decision to maximise plane usage, then AirAsia should be up front about it and state clearly that it reserves the right to delay or cancel flights at short notice or without notice. Passengers will then know exactly where they stand.

By not doing so, the airline is being unethical and treating its customers shabbily and with contempt. Under such circumstances, people would be perfectly justified to give them a wide berth.