After receiving no response to his e-mail and fax, a doctor who is upset with the staff of Cathay Pacific for allegedly responding nonchalantly and sarcastically to his complaint of a water leak on board a flight from Hong Kong, decides to relate his story to the media.

Dr Christopher Tien Yen Chee, who travelled from Hong Kong to Penang with a short transit at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on Nov 5, had spotted the water leaking through an emergency door minutes before take-off.

He then informed the airline personnel when the plane was transiting before leaving KLIA during a heavy downpour. However, the engineer and pilot later insisted that the Boeing 777 was fit to fly.

Although the doctor and his wife arrived safely in Penang, he said they were disturbed by the incident. He is also disappointed that their complaints to the Cathay Pacific headquarters in Hong Kong have gone unaddressed.

Tien provided malaysiakini with a copy of his complaint letter, which stated how transit passengers on that particular flight to Penang were asked to wait in the plane for 45 minutes at KLIA.

"It was raining heavily outside. Passengers near the port emergency exit (at the rear) noticed that rain water was dripping through the door seals into the cabin!" he said, adding that the door had not been opened at any stage of the journey.

A copy of Tien's video recording showed that there was a considerable amount of water leaking through the door.

"Of course, the passengers who knew of this problem, including myself, became concerned. If a door could let in rain water at ground level, how good was the seal? And would we be in danger during flight?" he said in his letter to Cathay Pacific.

'Sarcastic' pilot

Tien, an 'Asia Mile member' with the airline since 2000, explained how he and some other passengers, while on ground, had to demand for an engineer to check the door before the complaint was finally attended to during the transit.

"No senior staff came to inspect the leak. No senior staff came to reassure the passengers at all. It was only on demanding an engineer come to inspect the problem, that one was sent for.

"One Mr Douglas came after 20 minutes, took some paper towels to wipe the water off, did a cursory look and turned around, saying that it was alright and normal," he recalled.

Tien said he and other passengers - in the American-made plane - were not convinced with the engineer's assessment, leading to him meeting the pilot to address the matter.

He was astounded upon discovering that the pilot, only known as Captain Colin, was unaware of the door leak.

"I am the last in the communication chain," was the reply Tien got from the pilot when demanding to know if it was still safe to fly.

Still awaiting response

He was told that the pilot had not received a complaint, let alone the inspection report.

"This is shocking! Without knowing about the state of his aircraft, he was ready to take off," said Tien, adding that the engineer had given the captain the thumbs-up to proceed with the flight.

When Tien persisted with the matter, he was taken aback by the pilot's alleged sarcasm and insensitivity.

"Then he (the pilot) said to me, 'Look, Dr Chee, we have to get this plane to Penang. Now, what do you suggest we do? Spend more time checking the door or take off without delay?'

"How could your captain make such a sarcastic remark, in particular to someone who was representing a group of worried passengers, who are not technically familiar with the aircraft safety systems?" Tien wrote in his complaint letter to Cathay.

The incident has left Tien considering if he is to fly with the airlines in the future.
Malaysiakini is also awaiting for a reply to its e-mail to the airline's offices in Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong regarding the incident.

See the video recording of the leakage here.