The Malaysian Insider – Thu, Sep 4, 2014RELATED CONTENT
- ‘Bucket list’ slip another instance of MAS’s insensitivity, says MH370 widow
A family member of one of the passengers on missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH370 has taken the airline to task over the title of a controversial contest which has since been withdrawn.
Australian Danica Weeks, whose husband was among the 239 people on board flight MH370 which vanished on March 8, described MAS's "My Ultimate Bucket List" contest atrocious, and said it was just another example of MAS's insensitivity when dealing with families affected by the tragedy.
A bucket list is made up of things one wants to do, see or accomplish before dying.
"This is just another promotion that they've come up with. It's just atrocious - why would you say that?
"We're sitting here wondering [and] they've been entrusted with our loved ones and can't tell us where they are," Weeks told the New Zealand Herald.
MAS yesterday said it was withdrawing the title of the contest, targeted at Australian and New Zealand customers.
Contestants have to answer in 500 words or less the question, "What and where would you like to tick off on your bucket list, and explain why?", in order to win 16 iPads or return tickets to Malaysia.
Yesterday, The Huffington Post quoted media outlets and netizensslamming the contest's title.
“Straight from the files of What Were You Thinking? comes a 'Bucket List'-themed contest from Malaysia Airlines that ranks as the second worst decision recently made by the beleaguered travel brand,” the paper quoted Claire Daniel of media professionals portal, MediaBistro.
New Zealand Herald meanwhile quoted a marketing lecturer as saying that the competition would not help MAS's reputation, which has suffered two major disasters this year including the downing of flight MH17 over Ukraine on July 17.
"They have had two fatal incidents in one year. While Malaysia Airlines may have had very limited control over why these incidents happened, they were in control over how they handled the aftermath and this could have been handled much better," said Bodo Lang of Auckland University. – September 4, 2014.
