Malaysia Airlines has scrapped the title of a competition asking people what activities and destinations are on their "bucket list", acknowledging that it was inappropriate, given the two deadly disasters it has suffered this year.

A "bucket list" is an English-language slang expression for a list of adventures that one wants to have before dying.

The "My Ultimate Bucket List Campaign" asked customers to come up with suggestions, the best of which would win prizes, including flights on the airline.

All references to the bucket list have been scrubbed from the airline's website, but cached copies of the competition's terms and conditions are still visible in Google searches.

A statement from Malaysia Airlines said the contest in Australia and New Zealand was launched online on Monday, but removed the next day after a barrage of public criticism.

The title was "found to be inappropriate at this point of time," it said Thursday. "The airline appreciates and respects the sentiments of the public and in no way did it intend to offend any parties."

A Malaysia Airlines jet with 239 people on board disappeared on March 8 while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. In July, a Malaysia Airlines jet en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down over eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board.

The airline had a good safety record before the disasters and was once associated with high-quality service. But the twin disasters has badly damaged its brand.

The contest was reinstated on Wednesday and will run until the end of the year but without any new title as "the focus is on the prizes", the airline said.