PETALING JAYA: For Malaysia Airlines (MAS) staff, it was their red-letter day and they were on pins and needles.

A senior pilot, who wanted to be known as Sam, said he had been wondering if there would be good news for him.

“I am overseas at the moment and the letter was received by my wife in Kuala Lumpur. Thank goodness it was good news,” he said, adding that she sent him a copy of the nine-page document via Whatsapp.

The couple ended up chatting happily on Skype.

Sam, however, said that some of the terms in the letter were vague and he would have to scrutinise the contents before deciding whether he wanted to be reemployed by the new company, MAS Bhd.

“While most of my friends who are pilots received reemployment letters too, some had pay cuts amounting to more than RM3,500.

“Others had their leave slashed from 32 days to only 21,” he said.

A ground staff, known only as Chia, said she had yet to receive her letter and that most of them found it difficult to focus at the office until they know the outcome.

“Some even took half-day leave to head back to their homes and wait,” she said.

Chia added that their chat groups were all about the letters.

“Some of my friends were let go. But I dared not ask for details from them,” she said.

Chia believed that the arrival of the letters would depend on the postal service and the location of their homes.

About 20,000 MAS staff will get their letters with about two-thirds being offered positions in MAS Bhd.-thestar