LETTER | I recently went abroad for a business trip and flew via KLIA's main terminal. Countries around the world have been spending time and money to continuously upgrade their airports as it is the first impression tourists or foreign investors get.

Sad to say, our ageing KLIA main terminal has deteriorated badly. In fact, I've travelled to some of our neighbouring countries and I am amazed at how modern their airports are compared to our KLIA.

Here are some serious issues I hope MAHB, the KLIA management and the transport ministry will really look into.

1. Poor signage in the terminal itself. Some of the signboards are not lighted up. I had trouble looking for directions for airline lounges. Some signboards with directions are confusing. Some are even fading. I wonder how old these signboards are. In fact looking for the KLIA express train was a hassle. There's just a lack of information for tourists arriving in KLIA.

How do they get to KLIA Express, alternatives, how to get the KL tourist pass? Where are all these information? Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport has all these nicely organised right at the arrival hall. There are organised counters with tours, SIM cards, money exchange, bus services and many more. So efficient! But everything is just scattered and messy at KLIA. There are no interactive touchscreen displays with directory and flight information.

2. Messy immigration system. It's embarrassing as there are rows of immigration counters but some passengers with foreign passports went all the way to the end of the counters assuming the counters were open but to their dismay, the counters were closed. What's so hard for MAHB to install a large display screen to tell people which counters are open and which are closed? The immigration area also looks dark and gloomy.

3. The whole airport just looks old, outdated and gloomy in contrast with Singapore's Changi airport that looks ultra-modern and fresh despite its age. In fact, I think our malls in KL are much better and modern than KLIA. Lifts at KLIA airport have no announcements in the lifts itself to tell people which floor the lift stops.

And it's a shame our airport facilities don't cater to the disabled. There are old buntings and banners all over the airport. There is also a lack of information on how to interchange between KLIA and KLIA 2. Not many people are aware of the free shuttle bus service. Some light bulbs are fused. The multi-level car park has faulty lights and confusing signage.

4. What shocked me more was what I saw outside KLIA – the street lights are faulty, there are overgrown bushes everywhere outside KLIA and along the highway. Some street lights are even broken. Are we going to tell tourists and investors that we don't have the money to fix all this or do we just have the “tidak apa” mentality trapped in us all?

I hope the blame game between the Sepang local council and MAHB will not happen. Cars and airport limos double park outside the arrival area causing massive congestion. Where is the enforcement? There are no pedestrian signboards to warn drivers of pedestrian crossings. Some cars just drive through the zebra crossings because their views are blocked by double-parked vehicles.

It feels like a Third World country when one exits KLIA. Just right after KLIA, highway signboards are blocked by street lights. The Elite highway, too, has so many faulty street lights. Why can't we get this right in 2018?

5. KLIA is boring and dull. I'm not asking KLIA to copy Singapore's amazing Changi Airport by introducing cinemas and swimming pools. But let's think out of the box. Perhaps introduce a 24-hour library with real books rather than e-books?

Introduce stopover packages for passengers with more than five hours transit. Perhaps they should promote our beautiful Putrajaya and Cyberjaya for transit passengers via the KLIA Transit trains. Look at how Singapore Changi promotes itself as a destination in itself. Having malls and more shops is just too mainstream. Be different.

KLIA's ranking by Skytrax in 2018 is at 44 compared to 34 in 2017. How did we fail so badly? Why do MAHB and the ministry of transport not care? Are we really trapped in the “tidak apa” mentality? It's so sad that KLIA is an embarrassment to Malaysians but in Singapore, people there are proud of their world-class airport.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.