A woman from Beijing has sparked a heated debate online after branding Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) the “worst of the worst”, claiming security personnel were rude and provided incorrect instructions during her visit.
Posting on Threads under the username @spicysummer_gao, Summer Gao said the experience had put her off returning to Malaysia.
Her complaint drew mixed reactions, with some users expressing sympathy while others questioned her account and attitude, with several telling her not to visit again.
In her post, Gao described herself as a frequent traveller but said she had never encountered such an unpleasant experience at an airport.
“Security people are quite rude and give wrong guidance with no sense of responsibility at all. Never seen anything worse. Will never come back again,” she wrote.
She also shared a photograph of the Petronas Twin Towers accompanied by criticism of the airport and its staff, including the phrase “Stupid AF”.
When a commenter suggested that her own behaviour might have contributed to the encounter, Gao insisted that staff had been rude before she said anything.
She further claimed that personnel spoke rudely when telling passengers what they needed to do. However, her screenshots did not explain what incorrect instructions she had allegedly received or provide a detailed account of the incident.
In another reply, Gao clarified that she had travelled to Malaysia for work rather than a personal visit.
“I went there for a job thing. Not my own choice tbh,” she said.
When asked about her experiences at other international airports, she said she had travelled to numerous countries without facing similar treatment.
She specifically named New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles, saying airport personnel there had treated her better.
Her criticism was met with resistance from several Threads users, with one writing: “Sorry for your bad experience. And yes, please don’t come again!”
Another user also told her not to return, to which Gao replied: “I won’t.”
While some questioned whether her manner of speaking had contributed to the situation, another commenter criticised her use of the word “stupid”. Gao defended herself, arguing that the alleged treatment she received was equally unacceptable.
However, not everyone agreed with dismissing her complaint.
One user questioned why people were telling an unhappy visitor not to return instead of addressing the issues she had raised.
Another commenter, writing in Malay, said her personal experience should not be dismissed because of her nationality.
Meanwhile, a user claiming to be a lounge attendant at KLIA alleged that some airport personnel were particularly rude towards travellers from mainland China and South Asia, although they stressed that not all staff behaved that way.
Gao thanked the commenter for taking a fair stance, saying she had faced numerous attacks after sharing her experience.
In a pinned follow-up, she clarified that her post reflected her personal experience and acknowledged that Malaysia had many good people, some of whom had also reached out in the comments.
However, she added that she would not stay silent in response to racist or disrespectful remarks directed at her.
At the time of writing, screenshots of the thread showed that it had attracted 176,000 views and more than 800 replies, with users divided over her allegations and the way she expressed her dissatisfaction.
