____________________________________________________________

*WHEN BAD LUCK STRIKES, IT IS SAID TO COME FOR 7 YEARS! It is called The 7-Year Curse.

TWO CALAMITIES WITHIN MONTHS OF EACH OTHER.

NO ONE COULD HAVE FORESEEN TWO MAS PLANES GOING DOWN WITHIN 5 MONTHS OF EACH OTHER!

ONE PLANE IS STILL MISSING, ITS FATE UNKNOWN. THE OTHER HAS BEEN SHOT DOWN BY A MISSILE, ALL ON BOARD BELIEVED TO HAVE PERISHED.

How much worse can it get for MAS?

—

ANOTHER STROKE OF BAD LUCK!

theSundaily

Baggage loader truck damages MAS aircraft

KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian Airlines (MAS) aircraft scheduled to fly out of Hong Kong International Airport on Saturday was grounded following an accident with a ground vehicle that left the Boeing 777-200 damaged.

It is learnt that the driver of a baggage loader truck was aligning the vehicle close to the aircraft’s tail cargo hold door when the accident occurred.

A steel bar mounted on the vehicle punctured the skin of aircraft’s belly leaving a foot-long tear.

It is learnt that passengers and crew of the flight were held up by the delay and the airline put them up at hotels in the city.

http://www.thesundaily.my/news/1266796

…

—

MALAYSIAN AIRLINES SHOOTS ITSELF IN THE FOOT. AGAIN.

Bookings have plummeted due to the two disasters of MH370 and MH17 but MAS seems  unable to break free of its image as a disaster-prone airline.

The Sydney Morning Herald

Malaysia Airlines slammed over tweet

November 29, 2014 – 9:26PM

Stricken Malaysia Airlines has apologised for a year-end promotion tweet that draw anger after it inadvertently drew parallels with the still-missing MH370 flight.

“Want to go somewhere but don’t know where?” read the post on Twitter that was meant to promote special deals by the national carrier, prompting scorn from online users.

“I genuinely feel sorry for @MAS, an airline I like, but seriously: ‘Want to go somewhere but don’t know where?'” one user posted on Saturday.

Malaysia Airlines said the tweet “was intended to inspire travellers during this holiday period to explore destinations and deals” it was offering.

“Unfortunately, it unintentionally caused offence to some, and we have since removed the tweet,” it said in a brief statement.

It is the second time the carrier, which has been devastated by the loss of 537 people in two air tragedies this year, has run into criticism over its advertising recently.

In September, it said it had changed the name of a ticket-sale promotion that invoked an “inappropriate” death reference by asking travellers which places were on their “Bucket List”.

http://www.smh.com.au/world/malaysia-airlines-slammed-over-tweet-20141129-11ww1m.html?rand=1417256926001

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.@MAS apologises for ‘offensive’ promotion tweet http://yhoo.it/1vxyqJX 

…

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MAS FLIES INTO ANOTHER STORM, AN ADVERTISING STORM, WITH ITS MY ULTIMATE BUCKET LIST ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN!

TO KICK THE BUCKET MEANS TO DIE AND TO MAKE A BUCKET LIST IS TO MAKE A LIST OF WHAT YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE!

#MalaysiaAirlines launches “My Ultimate Bucket List” marketing initiative. Awkward much? http://goo.gl/qsYGGd

…

4:12PM Sep 3, 2014

MAS gets flak over ‘bucket list’ marketing campaign

The Malaysia Airlines webpage promoting its ‘My Ultimate Bucket List’ marketing campaign is no longer accessible, after receiving flak for the campaign’s “ill-advised” name.

It is unclear whether this had been a technical error, or that the competition has been withdrawn.

According to Time magazine yesterday, the competition webpage has been inaccessible, while its terms and conditions can still be found on the airline’s website.

Checks by Malaysiakini however, found that the file was still accessible today until about 3.30pm, where further attempts to access it would be replied with an error message that reads, ‘Access denied’.

Malaysiakini is contacting Malaysia Airlines in Australia for comment.

http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/273542

…

MAS’ “My Ultimate Bucket List” Campaign – Too Soon!

Malaysia Airlines (MAS), which is still reeling from the twin tragedies of MH370 and MH17, is pulling out all stops to win customers back. From great bargains and last minute deals, to running contests and giving away free flights. We don’t blame them – it has been a difficult year for our national carrier.

One such competition started on Monday and is open to those who book a MAS flight online until the end of the year. Wanna win free tickets from your nearest airport to “a destination in Malaysia to be determined by MAS”? Sure.

The only problem is, it’s part of their “My Ultimate Bucket List” campaign, where contestants had to explain, “What and where wold you like to tick off on your bucket list?”

See, the Merriam-Webster definition of bucket list is “a list of things that one has not done before but wants to do before dying” – which makes calling a Malaysia Airlines campaign as such pretty bizarre. We don’t deny that it’s awkward and maybe just a little too soon, but that is only if the figure of speech was taken literally. Let’s not forget the Oxford Dictionary’s definition of bucket list, which kinda explains what MAS intended to say:

Still, it has angered netizens and effectively turned into a branding/marketing/PR disaster.

As such, the “My Ultimate Bucket List” campaign appears to have been withdrawn, with the original competition link now leading to a 404 error page. What’s left behind, however, is a PDF of the competition’s terms and conditions, which can still be found here.

A case of “with good intentions but just too soon” and perhaps just a wrong choice of words? We think so too.

Awkward.

http://hype.my/newsdesk/mas-my-ultimate-bucket-list-campaign-too-soon/

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SAVING MALAYSIAN AIRLINE SYSTEM (MAS)

After the twin nightmares of MH370 and MH17, with MAS bleeding cash at the rate of RM3 million a day, we are now offered the false hope of a RM6 billion bail out! While Utusan is optimistic that MAS will be profitable in 3 years, I am pessimistic. Methinks what we are offered may turn out to be a spectre!

The plan will see the setting up of a new company to house the flag carrier once it completes it delisting exercise by year-end, rationalise routes, renegotiate current contracts, cut 30% of the 20,000 workforce and move its operations from Subang to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).

It also proposed that a MAS Act be enacted to facilitate the restructuring of the flag carrier in a comprehensive, timely and holistic manner, while an aviation commission be set up to act as an economic regulator for the aviation industry.

YAHOO! NEWS MALAYSIA

MAS will be back in the black in 3 years, says Utusan

The Malaysian Insider 

Umno mouthpiece Utusan Malaysia has given the thumbs up to the comprehensive revamp plan to revive loss-making Malaysia Airlines (MAS), saying that the move to turn the national carrier around will not affect its services.

Awang Selamat, the collective voice of the paper’s editors, said he was confident the national icon would be back in the black in three years, based on stringent regulatory controls over the 12-point plan unveiled by state sovereign fund Khazanah Nasional Berhad yesterday.

“The emphasis on these aspects will have a significant impact on the recovery effort. It also differs from previous efforts which have ended in failure.

“We are also confident such changes will bear fruit and more importantly, the services of the national carrier will not be affected,” he said in the column today.

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IS THIS A FIRST STEP TOWARDS SALVAGING MAS?

While 5,000-6,000 job losses would signal a drastic downsizing of the firm, analysts have said many staff could be offered jobs at other government-run firms to soften the blow to them and their families. About 13,000 MAS workers are unionized, belonging to the MAS Employees Union.

YAHOO! NEWS MALAYSIA

Thousands to lose jobs in MAS restructuring

The Malaysian Insider

About a quarter of Malaysia Airlines’ 20,000 staff are likely to lose their jobs under a restructuring plan for the loss-making airline hit by two separate jet disasters this year, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said.

The restructuring plan, due to be unveiled later this week, will include route cuts, as well as the loss of up to 5,000-6,000 jobs, according to the source, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The carrier’s majority owner, Khazanah Nasional Bhd, is expected to announce the plan to restructure the firm as early as August 28. Khazanah, which owns 69.37% of the airline, formally known as Malaysian Airline System Bhd (MAS), said earlier this month it is taking MAS private in a RM1.37 billion deal.

MAS is due to announce second-quarter results on August 28 that are expected to show losses expanding. MAS has been struggling with a slump in business since the unexplained disappearance of Flight MH370 in March tipped the airline into its worst quarterly performance in two years in January-March.

Its problems deepened on July 17 when its Flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board. The airline is now set to post one of its weakest performance in the April-June quarter, hit by due to cancelled bookings, weak passenger yields and high overheads, according to analysts.

The same source told Reuters in July that Khazanah planned to de-list the airline, which has recorded a net loss for the past three years, and announce the restructuring plan as early as the end of August.
…

The carrier had undergone three restructuring exercises since 2007 which had failed to yield any results because of a bloated workforce, changing market demand, stiff competition and high overhead costs.

https://my.news.yahoo.com/malaysia-airlines-cut-quarter-jobs-restructuring-115118724.html

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NUFAM, “Trial through the media should be avoided at all cost.”

Free Malaysia Today

Flight attendants union defends MAS steward

PETALING JAYA: The National Union of Flight Attendants Malaysia (NUFAM) said the sexual allegations against a MAS steward were “extremely painful” for the family of the crew member and was also affecting morale of other crew members of the national carrier.

The NUFAM  wants the authorities to speed up investigations of the case .

NUFAM, in a statement, said a “thorough examination” was necessary as the alleged victim, Laura Bushney, has released a video of the incident where she related her account to the media even before the complaint has been fully investigated.

NUFAM pointed out that previous reports highlighted the fact that Bushney was fearful of taking the MAS flight following two incidents involving MH370 and MH17.

The steward, NUFAM claimed, periodically visited the passenger concerned to calm her down and assure her that all will be well on the flight.

There were definitely no inappropriate acts on his part, the statement stressed.

It went on to state that there has been no admission of guilt by the alleged perpetrator and that such media reports were untrue.

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2014/08/25/flights-attendants-union-defends-mas-steward/

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YAHOO! NEWS MALAYSIA

Flak for woman who accused MAS steward of sexual assault on telly

The Malaysian Insider

Social media users have lashed out at Laura Bushney, the Australian woman who went on TV, accusing a Malaysia Airlines (MAS) chief steward of sexually assaulting her while on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Paris on August 4, claiming that her story sounds far-fetched.

In comments retrieved from the Facebook page of Sunday Night – the programme on Australia’s Channel 7 where Bushney had appeared in – many expressed doubts over her story, questioning how she had managed to record the act on her mobile phone.

“It’s really rubbish. She did it for one thing. Money. Besides ruining the reputation of an innocent man,” said Jessica Greenhill’s comment, which was followed by more than 300 others in the Facebook page.
…

Another social media user Tanya Pearce, who commented on the same page, saying that she believed Bushney had allowed it to happen in order to get compensation from MAS.

“I believe she allowed it to happen. She wasn’t really crying. I don’t know how she was in fear but did not scream.

“What could he (the chief steward) have done in a plane full of passengers? I think it was to get compensation,” she said.

Alexandra Shand said Bushney’s allegations, which she had watched on TV, seemed false and made her turn to a different channel.

“I am happy that I am not the only one who thought there was something weird with this story,” she said, referring to the more than 1,000 comments left on Sunday Night’s Facebook page.

Another Facebook user said Sunday Night had sensationalised Bushney’s allegations following the MH370 and MH17 disasters that hit MAS recently.

“If it was not MAS, this story would not have been aired. So, don’t say you are doing it for her (Bushney) when the real reason is to gain viewers,” said CJ Booth.

https://my.news.yahoo.com/flak-woman-accused-mas-steward-sexual-assault-telly-061758044.html

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Malaysiakini

8:14PM Aug 24, 2014

Aussie woman relates ‘sexual assault’ on MAS

Laura Bushney, an Australian citizen, has finally gone public about her alleged sexual assault ordeal at the hands of a Malaysia Airlines chief steward.

In an interview with Sunday Night aired on Australia’s Channel Seven today, Bushney said the chief steward had massaged her legs under the guise of “comforting her”.
…

An audio recording, via mobile phone, of the incident was also released where Bushney was heard sobbing as she murmured: “He’s massaging my legs… I’m so scared, I just want to get off this plane.”

According to the report, Bushney said the air steward, who had placed his hands on her legs, then proceeded to move his hands towards her belly button but she pushed him away.

The programme also interviewed Sophie Lachance, another passenger who was alerted to the incident.

Bushney had sought Lachance’s help after she told the steward to get her something to drink.

“Somebody touched my arm … and I remember I woke up and I saw her face full of tears and she was sobbing really, really strong,” Lachance was quoted as saying.

Bushney complained to the police at Charles De Gaulle Airport after landing in Paris.

The report said the assailant, who is a union figure, had since admitted to the police of the incident.

http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/272599

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YAHOO! NEWS SINGAPORE

An Australian woman who had accused a Malaysia Airlines cabin crew member of sexually abusing her is set to go public to tell her side of the story, of how she was assaulted during a flight to Paris earlier this month.

‎News.com.au reported that the 26-year-old woman, known only as Laura, will also show footage of the assault which she had taken using her phone, on Seven’s Sunday Night show.

‎Laura said that she was sexually assaulted by the chief steward on board flight MH20 on August 4.

“I couldn’t stop it. I just froze. I was just scared,” she was seen telling Seven reporter Ross Coulthart in the promo video.
…

Laura, it was reported, had begun recording mid-flight after the assault had taken place.

A woman’s voice could be heard crying to a man sitting across the aisle.

‎She was heard saying: “You did, you did, you did, don’t lie. It’s what you did.

“I’m so scared. I just want to get off this plane… I don’t want to see you. Go away. You give me the creeps, you dirty old man.”

Laura made a report with the authorities upon reaching Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport and the steward was detained two days later to assist in the investigations.

Laura said she was speaking out ‎for the first time as she felt let down by the actions of the airline.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/alleged-mas-sexual-assault-victim-tell-tv-show-082528076.html

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MAS AIR STEWARD IS DETAINED IN PARIS FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT OF A PASSENGER ON BOARD A MAS FLIGHT!

A Malaysia Airlines cabin crew member has been detained in France over allegations that he sexually assaulted an Australian passenger who was scared of flying with the disaster-prone airline.

French police have questioned a crew member following allegations by a female passenger of ‘inappropriate sexual behaviour’ on flight MH20 from Kuala Lumpur on August 4, the airline said in a statement on Thursday.

The Australian passenger complained to authorities about the incident after touchdown at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport, saying she had told crew at the beginning of the flight about her apprehension of flying with the airline in the wake of the two disasters.

The steward sat beside her and sexually assaulted her under the pretext of ‘comforting’ her, she said, according to a source close to the French probe.

Malaysia Airlines vowed to assist French authorities in their investigation, adding ‘the safety, comfort and well-being of our passengers is always our highest priority’.

‘Malaysia Airlines expects and accepts nothing short of the highest standards of conduct from its crew and takes any such allegations very seriously,’ it said.

The case, involving the chief steward of a Paris-bound flight, is the latest setback for the struggling national carrier, which was struck by twin tragedies this year when one of its passenger jets went missing and another was shot down over conflict-torn east Ukraine.

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 disappeared mysteriously in March with 239 people aboard, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. No trace has been found and the airline was widely criticised for its handling of the crisis.

On July 17, MH17 was shot down over Ukraine, with 298 people killed.

The airline stands on the financial brink after the disasters.

…

SUNDAY 8.45: The exclusive with the woman sexually assaulted by a #MalaysiaAirlines steward http://yhoo.it/1mrTTO0  pic.twitter.com/Wz3u8JKSKg

…

…

Malaysia Chronicle

Friday, 22 August 2014 16:06

At 40,000ft, MAS steward began ‘massaging her legs & put his hand down her pants’ – sex assault victim

Three hours into the half-full flight to Paris, Laura Bushney, 26, said Mohd Rosli Bin Ab Karim sat beside her and allegedly began massaging her legs under the guise of “comforting her” and later put his hand down her pants.

She told Sunday Night, in an interview to air this week, she was terrified when the 54-year-old steward allegedly began touching her, but was “frozen in panic”.

“I just keep saying why didn’t I scream, why didn’t I shout? Why didn’t I stop it? I am a strong person because I can do that, I know I can.”

“When I was in the moment I couldn’t. I felt so scared, so petrified,” Ms Bushney said.

However, Ms Bushney recorded the alleged incident on the mobile phone wrapped in a scarf next to her pillow.
…

In the recording she can be heard whispering what Rosli was doing to her.

“He’s massaging my legs,” she can be heard saying.

“I’m so scared, I just want to get off this plane.”

After the passenger sitting in front of Ms Bushney, Canadian Sophie Lachance, 23, insisted Ms Bushney report what happened, the flight crew sat her down with the steward again.

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YAHOO! NEWS SINGAPORE

MALAYSIA PRESS-Nearly 200 MAS crew members resigned after jet disasters-The Edge

Reuters

KUALA LUMPUR, August 25 (Reuters) – Almost 200 Malaysia Airline System Bhd (MAS) crew members have resigned notably after the double airline tragedies involving MH17 and MH370.

Malaysia Airline System Employees Union secretary-general Abdul Malek Ariff said they were down to only about 3,000 cabin crew staff now. “Some are afraid to fly. There is nothing we can do about this. They have developed some kind of fear and we hope that over time, they will be back to normal,” he said.

In a statement to The Edge, MAS said that the total number of resignations from January to July this year was 186 and not 500 as some have alleged.

“Following the MH17 incident, there was a spike in crew resignations, but the number has now decreased to routinely expected levels.”

“Many cited family pressure as the reason for their resignation due to the MH17 and MH370 tragedies. At present, the resignation rate at MAS is less than 5 percent which is way below the industry norm,” it said.

-The Edge Financial Daily

NOTE: Reuters has not verified this story and does not vouch for its accuracy.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/malaysia-press-nearly-200-mas-003948762.html

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Tokyo-bound MAS flight turns back to KLIA 50min after departure – Nation

PETALING JAYA: A Tokyo-bound Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight is reported to have been forced to return to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) 50 minutes after departure due to safety reasons.

…

Malaysiakini

2:34PM Aug 23, 2014

MAS flight turns back due to ‘safety issues’

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH70, en route to Tokyo, made a turn back to Kuala Lumpur following alleged “safety issues” found mid-flight.

This was announced by the pilot about 50 minutes into the flight, a passenger onboard the plane told Malaysiakini.

The plane had departed the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) at 10.50am for Narita airport at 10.50am.

After touching down, passengers were then informed that they will be leaving for Tokyo at 1.15pm on a different plane.

“The radar screen (flight route display on the passenger’s seat-back screen) showed that the plane was curving to the left long before the announcement.

“I was initially confused, but it made more sense when they made the announcement,” passenger Victor Tan said.

MAS’ website states that Flight MH70 has been “retimed” and is due to arrive in Tokyo at 9.25pm.

Flight tracker website Flightradar24 shows that MH70 had merely circled around its departure area before turning back.

http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/272490

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Is there a silver lining above the dark storm clouds for MAS?

…

NST

Malaysian Airline System Bhd, the state-backed carrier whose jet was shot down over Ukraine on July 17, will present turnaround plans this week to the government fund that controls it, people familiar with the matter said.

The proposals presented to majority owner Khazanah Nasional Bhd will include taking the company private or allowing it to go bankrupt and then renegotiating contracts with the workers’ unions, said one of the people, who asked not to be named as the information is private. Khazanah, Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund, owns 69.4 per cent of the carrier.

http://www.nst.com.my/node/15773

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Two crashes in five months could deal a crippling blow to Malaysia Airlines. http://on.wsj.com/1plOIRw  #MH17 pic.twitter.com/xwTgmxxl4X

—

TWO CALAMITIES WITHIN MONTHS OF EACH OTHER.

NO ONE COULD HAVE FORESEEN TWO MAS PLANES GOING DOWN WITHIN 5 MONTHS OF EACH OTHER!

ONE PLANE IS STILL MISSING, ITS FATE UNKNOWN. THE OTHER HAS BEEN SHOT DOWN BY A MISSILE, ALL ON BOARD BELIEVED TO HAVE PERISHED.

How much worse can it get for MAS?

BREAKING NEWS! Thurs 17 July 2014: MAS Flight MH17 crashes in Ukraine!

Interfax news agency reports all 295 on board killed in crash.

—

Mashable

How an Act of Aggression Complicates Insurance Questions for Malaysia Airlines

By Andrew Freedman

Soon after the news broke of the loss of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, the question emerged in boardrooms from New York to Kuala Lumpur: Who will pay for the loss of the plane and its nearly 300 passengers and crew, given that the commercial airliner was “blown out of the sky“? Who will be left with the bill that could run into the billions of dollars?

To the rest of us, it might seem an insensitive debate — especially so quickly after the plane went down.

But for insurance brokers, airline executives and government officials, it’s a pertinent — if tricky — question that hinges on the interpretation of “wartime exclusions” and hotly contested facts on the ground in the border region between Ukraine and Russia.

The key issue is whether the shoot-down of a civilian airliner over an area where there is a conflict but no official declaration of war will trigger aviation insurance policies’ “wartime exclusion” clauses. Such clauses are written into almost every insurance policy of a costly, high-tech airliner such as the 777-200, and they mandate that the insurance companies underwriting the aircraft won’t be liable if an act of war or terrorism destroys the plane.

Some experts say the clause would likely apply in this case, although others aren’t so sure. No war has been declared between Ukraine and Russia, let alone between Ukraine and Malaysia or Russia and Malaysia.

So, what was it in the eyes of insurers and international law?

Bill Coffin, group editorial director for the insurance industry publication National Underwriter, says the wartime clause would probably apply to Flight 17, and this would mean the airline itself, and therefore the Malaysian government, would be liable both for the loss of the plane itself and for any liability claims from passengers’ families. This could add up to $1 billion or more.

The Malaysian government could try to seek compensation from whomever shot the plane down. But, he said, if it was a rebel group with ties to Moscow, “good luck in trying to negotiate with them to try to give you some compensation,” Coffin said.

Read the full article:

http://mashable.com/2014/07/17/who-will-pay-insurance-for-malaysia-airlines/?utm_campaign=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial&utm_cid=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial&utm_medium=feed&utm_source=rss

—

http://youtu.be/njB-A0TOwm4

—–

MORE BAD LUCK?

Malaysiakini

10:18AM Jun 18, 2014

Passenger sues MAS in Australian court

A Malaysia Airlines (MAS) passenger is suing the national airline in an Australian court, claiming A$250,000 (RM752,000) in damages for allegedly refusing to provide her with a wheelchair, causing her to suffer a fall in which she sustained bone fractures.

The incident took place on April 4 this year, 72-year-old Vineetha Latha Warnakulasuriya claimed, when she arrived in Sri Lanka from Kuala Lumpur, aboard Flight MH179, and asked the flight attendant for a wheelchair.

However, Vineetha was told that the wheelchair could not be brought into the aircraft, and she would have to exit to where a wheelchair would be brought.

“Following this refusal, the plaintiff (Vineetha) had no choice but to comply with the directive of the flight attendant and she attempted to get out of her seat to walk, whereupon her right knee immediately gave way and her right leg collapsed causing her to fall to the floor, resulting in the injuries,” Vineetha’s statement of claim states.

The statement of claim was lodged in the Brisbane District Court yesterday. Vineetha holds dual citizenship – in Sri Lanka and in Australia.

She claimed to have suffered fractures on her right tibia (shinbone) and ligament damage to her right kneecap as a result of the fall.

http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/266017

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NOTHING COULD BE AS BAD AS BEING BADMOUTHED (CURSED!) BY THE PRIME MINSTER HIMSELF! Your own PM is your biggest enemy!

MAS SHARE PRICE: DEAD CAT BOUNCE?

In finance, a dead cat bounce is a small, brief recovery in the price of a declining stock. Derived from the idea that “even a dead cat will bounce if it falls from a ‘great height’. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_cat_bounce)

ON TUESDAY, 20 MAY 2014, MAS CLOSED AT 16.6 SEN, UP 1 SEN FROM THE DAY BEFORE.

MAS	0.165	+0.010	2,170,227

—

Najib said that it was too late to save MAS, and mentioned BANKRUPTCY as an option! That was on Friday, 16 May 2014.

See what happened to the share price of MAS when the KLSE opened on Monday, 19 May 2014? It fell and fell and fell and hit 15 sen!

It finally closed at 15.5 sen, a historic low.

—

—

Malaysiakini

12:59PM May 16, 2014

Too late now to save MAS, says Najib

t is now too late for the government to step in and save Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and bankruptcy is one of several options to restructure the loss-making airline, said Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

“We have to look at it from all angles, bearing in mind that Malaysia Airlines is a government-linked company.

“It’s not a private company, so there are certain repercussions in what you want to do in terms of how it is received by the employees and the general public,” he was quoted as saying in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.

Previously, acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and Tourism Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz have both said on separate occasions that the government will not be providing financial assistance to MAS, which hasn’t turned a profit in years.

http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/262948

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Star

MAS is the greatest penny stock on Bursa Malaysia

What stock watchers, investors and employees of MAS will watch for from now is the plan to right the company. To put it bluntly, there is so much wrong at MAS which has never been fixed.
…

The opportunity is there now for MAS to take the big leap. Political will appears to be there after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the Government is willing to look at all angles after the huge first quarter loss.

Urgency to act is surely apparent as the airline is burning through its cash pretty fast and analysts feel the company will exhaust its cash by next year.

Although the Government says it will not bail-out MAS, the fact is that it’s a government-owned company and one that many feel will not be allowed to fail. Nearly RM17bil in fresh capital raised either through bonds issuances or rights issues has been pumped into the airline since 1998. And what has all that money got to show up to now?
…

If they do get the plan of action right, then expect the reverse of trading action to happen. MAS, although it has a lot to lose, could be the penny stock with the greatest potential on Bursa Malaysia.

http://www.thestar.com.my/Business/Business-News/2014/05/17/MAS-is-the-greatest-penny-stock-on-Bursa-Malaysia/

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MAS shares have slumped to life lows and have lost three-quarters of their value in the past five years.

BAD LUCK FOR MAS
*There was the recent disclosure of the news of another financial loss, a huge one by Malaysian standards.
*Then comes the missing flight MH370, declared by the Malaysian PM as lost at sea, all on board believed to have perished.
*Two minor incidents, one in Nepal and the other in HK, involving MAS planes.
*The Chinese may not be taking MAS flights for a long time.

Without counting the number of years, we may expect more bad luck to come in the next few years…

—–

PROMISES!
(Do you think he’ll keep his job?)

Malaysiakini

6:00PM Apr 7, 2014

CEO vows to send MAS soaring again soon

The MH370 incident has clipped Malaysia Airlines’ wings in terms of reputation and its chief executive officer Ahmad Jauhari Yahya admitted this.

Jauhari noted that an airline would need at least six months to recover from a market reputation issue, but stressed that MAS would do it sooner.

“We have a lot of work to do… The airline needs to get itself together,” he told the daily briefing on the missing jet in Kuala Lumpur this evening.

Once again, Jauhari was asked if he would resign over this incident, to which he replied: “I have work to do right now.”

Since MH370 vanished from radar screens on March 8, the airline has been hit by a string of incidents involving its planes.

http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/259357

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*MAS DOESN’T NEED THIS KIND OF BAD PUBLICITY AT ALL!

London MAS flight rescheduled due to technical difficulties

Malaysiakini

4:59PM Apr 3, 2014

Last-minute repairs delay MAS flight for 4 hours

London-bound Malaysia Airlines flight MH004 due to depart Kuala Lumpur this morning was delayed for four hours to make last minute repairs to the aircraft.

“As safety of its passengers is utmost priority to the airline, this re-timing is necessary to facilitate rectification work on the aircraft,” MAS said in statement today.

The flight was delayed from 10.10am to 2.15pm. It will now arrive in London at 8.25pm local time the same day.

http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/259020

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Foong Wai Yueng was a member of the cabin crew of Flight MH370. Her husband, Lee Khim Fatt, has begun legal action in a U.S. court.

http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/mh370-crews-spouse-initiates-legal-action-in-us-court

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Malaysian Insider

Second petition filed in US court against Boeing, MAS

March 29, 2014

The spouse of a crew member aboard the missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS) MH370 jet has asked a court in Illinois, United States to order Boeing Co and the airline to turn over data and documents to assist in preparation for a possible lawsuit, Bloomberg reported today.

The petition was filed yesterday in Chicago on behalf of Lee Khim Fatt, whose wife, Foong Wai Yueng, was a member of the cabin crew on the plane that vanished on March 8 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

This is the second such petition filed this week by Chicago law firm Ribbeck Law Chartered.

It is the second request to an American court to order Chicago-based Boeing, which built the lost 777-200ER jet, and Malaysian Airline Systems Bhd to produce information about the plane’s ownership, maintenance history, flight crew training and 23 other categories of data.

According to the Bloomberg report, Ribbeck Law Chartered lawyer Monica R. Kelly in a press statement said: “Through the initial discovery process in the courts, we will obtain for the families of the victims all the facts and information necessary to prove fault.”

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/second-petition-filed-in-us-court-against-boeing-mas

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“When it rains, it pours.” (This English idiom means that when a person encounters bad luck, more bad luck will follow.)

Malaysiakini

11:35AM Mar 28, 2014

Minor fire at MAS avionics workshop

A photograph purported to be of the incident, uploaded on former Wangsa Maju MP Wee Choo Keong’s blog, shows people walking with their heads down in a smoggy corridor.

He described the incident as “mysterious and unprecedented”.

Wee (left) also called on CEO of MAS Aerospace Engineering, Azhari Dhalan, to explain what caused the fire.

“And more importantly what documents or properties have been destroyed by this mysterious fire and was this a sabotage?” he added.

Avionics are electrical equipment used in an aircraft. They include the black box data transponder, navigational and communications equipment.

http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/258447

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Star

Friday March 28, 2014 MYT 7:16:13 AM

Fire breaks out at MAS avionics workshop in Subang

PETALING JAYA: A fire broke out at the Malaysia Airlines avionics workshop in Subang.

This was the latest in a series of unfortunate events for the airline following the disappearance of Flight MH370 on March 8.

MAS said no one was injured in the fire which occurred at about 4pm on Wednesday.

The fire was minor and was brought under control immediately, said the airline in a press statement.

MAS also said that all its facilities were equipped with state-of-the-art safety equipment.

http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2014/03/28/Fire-breaks-out-at-MAS-avionics-workshop-in-Subang/

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Malaysian Insider

MAS receives copy of petition filed in US court over missing plane

March 27, 2014

Malaysia Airlines (MAS) said today it has received a copy of the petition filed in a court in the United States on behalf of one of the passengers on board the missing MH370 flight against the aircraft manufacturer, Boeing Company, and the national carrier.

MAS said its lawyers have been briefed and are on standby to deal with the case “although it has not yet been formally served.”

“We understand that this is not a lawsuit but a request through the courts for information,” MAS said in a filing to Bursa Malaysia today.

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/mas-receives-copy-of-petition-filed-in-us-court-over-missing-plane

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Star

Wednesday March 26, 2014 MYT 7:13:46 PM

MH370 crash: Boeing and MAS could face RM4.95bil lawsuit in United States

by qishin tariq

KUALA LUMPUR: Family members of the victims of the ill-fated Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 are filing an RM4.95bil suit against Boeing and Malaysia Airlines in the United States.

Chicago-based firm Ribbeck Law Chartered, who are acting for the family members, have started proceedings by filing a petition of discovery in an Illinois court.

Monica Kelly, the lead lawyer from Ribbeck Law, said the firm, which specialises in aviation law, were approached by family members from China and Indonesia.
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Boeing, the manufacturers of the 777-200 aircraft, has been on the receiving end of a number of lawsuits in the past.

The most recent lawsuit was in January this year by a group of passengers, represented by Ribbeck Law, who were aboard an Asiana Airlines flight that crash-landed in San Francisco on July 6 last year, where three people were killed and more than 180 others hurt.

http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2014/03/26/mh370-lawsuit-to-be-filed/

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Compassionately Advancing Justice — Ribbeck Law Chartered International is passionately devoted to improving international passenger safety and seeking justice for aviation tragedy victims and their families. Our multinational legal team is comprised of gifted professionals who clients can count on. Our staff includes Fulbright scholars and accomplished attorneys schooled and experienced in other related professions. We are also trained engineers, pilots, insurance experts, judges, authors and human rights activists who represent years of international and multijurisdictional expertise in support of victims from diverse backgrounds, budgets and countries of origin.

Global Legal Successes — For more than two decades, Ribbeck Law has helped clients from over 35 countries navigate through the United States’ court system. We also pursue justice through the Senior Courts of England and Wales. Defendants from around the world obtain insurance and reinsurance in London, thus representation in its court system is indispensible.

Our global legal expertise often results not only in judicial remedies and settlements, but we also effect meaningful changes in protocol and legislation – compelling manufacturers, airlines, corporations and even governments to be more safety conscious. Ribbeck Law has the financial resources, strategic legal acumen and passion to seek full and fair compensation through the United States’ civil justice system as well as in British courts. We support clients from around the world respectfully and wisely.

Aviation Accident Lawyer | Airplane Crash Lawyers | Ribbeck Law …

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Ribbeck attorney Monica Kelly says the firm has done nothing wrong. “We were invited by Chinese government officials in China and the United States, including their local diplomats, to meet their Chinese nationals to represent them,” Kelly said in an email to The Associated Press. She said the firm’s representative in Shanghai also was “contacted by a group of families affected by this tragedy seeking legal representation.”

The firm says it is investigating the cause of the accidents for 83 passengers and that they have represented victims of previous air accidents.

William Wang, Ribbeck’s Shanghai-based lawyer, told the AP that he talked to passengers and their families in China.

“I told them that USA would be the right place to sue instead of China or Korea. I told them that even the ones who had not been injured could sue as well, because there could be mental effects,” Wang said in an interview. “I gave them the files which had been offered by Ribbeck Law in USA, and I did the translation.”

For more, click on:

NTSB Investigates Air-Crash-Chasing Attorneys | Aero-News Network

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No one has yet calculated the cost to the airline of the lost plane, which is now assumed to have crashed into the Indian Ocean earlier this month with 239 passengers and crew on board. [ID:nL4N0ML4YK] While the plane was insured, there will likely be compensation payouts to the relatives of those who died.

“What this accident is going to create is an acceleration of the downward trend that we’ve seen at MAS for years, and the need to restructure,” said Bertrand Grabowski, who heads German bank DVB’s aviation and land transport finance divisions.

Star

Wednesday March 26, 2014 MYT 8:24:54 AM

Report: Struggling, Malaysian Airline may need Govt bailout

SINGAPORE/KUALA LUMPUR: Even before the loss of its Flight MH370, Malaysian Airline System (MAS) was bleeding cash, prompting talk that it may need another financial rescue from state investor Khazanah Nasional Bhd, its majority shareholder.

The flag carrier’s cash and short-term investments at end-December were close to $1.2 billion (726 million pounds) – less than its average operating costs of the two previous quarters, and a signal that it may soon need fresh funding or bank loans.

MAS, Southeast Asia’s fourth-largest airline by market value, has had negative operating cash flow for three years – which means it is not generating enough cash to meet its day-to-day operating costs – and has had negative free cash flow – operating cash flow minus capital expenditure – for six years.
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DVB’s Grabowski said this could be a turning point for MAS, citing Japan Airlines‘ emergence from bankruptcy to become Asia’s most profitable airline in 2012, but Ross at Credit Suisse warned that the carrier’s union could be an obstacle to any major restructuring.

“The prime stumbling block is labour, and turkeys don’t vote for Christmas. These guys are not pushing for change because they know which big-line items need to have a knife taken to them – and one of them is employee costs. MAS employs several thousand people too many,” said Ross.

MASEU President Alias Aziz did not respond to requests for comment.

http://www.thestar.com.my/Business/Business-News/2014/03/26/Struggling-Malaysian-Airline-May-Need-Govt-Bailout/

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*A LAWSUIT WILL DRAG ON FOR YEARS….

Malaysian Insider

10:14AM Mar 26, 2014

MAS, Boeing face potential lawsuit

Malaysian Airlines and Boeing Co are facing a potential lawsuit over the Beijing-bound flight that disappeared more than two weeks ago with 239 people on board, according to a law firm representing passengers’ families.

A petition for discovery has been filed against Boeing Co, manufacturer of the aircraft, and Malaysian Airlines, operator of the plane, Chicago-based Ribbeck Law said in a statement on Tuesday.
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The petition for discovery, filed in a Cook County, Illinois Circuit Court, is meant to secure evidence of possible design and manufacturing defects that may have contributed to the disaster, the law firm said.

The court filing was not immediately available.

The filing initiates a multimillion dollar lawsuit against the airline and Boeing by the passengers’ families, the firm said.

“We believe that both defendants named are responsible for the disaster of Flight MH 370,” Monica Kelly, the lead Ribbeck lawyer in the case, said in the statement.

The petition was filed on behalf of Januari Siregar, whose son was on the flight.
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Ribbeck is also representing 115 passengers in the crash of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 in San Francisco in July.

The law firm’s petition is asking the judge to order Boeing to provide the identity of manufacturers of various plane components, including electric components and wiring, batteries, emergency oxygen and fire alarm systems.

It is also seeking the identify of the company or person who last inspected the fuselage and who provided maintenance.

The petition also asks the judge to order Malasyan Airlines to produce information about crew training for catastrophic incidents, security practices, safety training and crew evaluations.

– Reuters

http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/258206

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