In response to statements made by Member of Parliament Bung Moktar Radin in Parliament recently, Aireen Omar, CEO of AirAsia Berhad, said,
“The claim by the MP that a one-way flight on that route costs RM2,000 is completely untrue. The average one-way fare for AirAsia flights between Kuala Lumpur and Sandakan is RM213.
Even during peak season, when AirAsia operates flights with 100% load factor, our highest fare was about RM1180.”
The Kinabatangan MP had complained that AirAsia charged RM2,000 for a one-way ticket from Sandakan to Kuala Lumpur.
He said he saw some villagers forced to buy new tickets just because they arrived late for boarding.
He added, “The villagers complained they had no money, so I helped. AirAsia is focusing too much on charging ‘hidden costs’ instead of operating as a true low-cost carrier.”
Deputy Transport Minister, Ab Aziz Kaprawi, also weighed in, “The government will look into complaints levelled against AirAsia for imposing high prices.” He said he had discussed with the Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM) on the matter to avoid the airline from taking advantage of its customers.
In a press statement today, Aireen (picture) replied, “There are no ‘hidden charges’ as alleged by the MP. AirAsia guests have the option of choosing how they want to fly and what products they wish to pay for, and all fees and charges are clearly stated on our website and mobile app”.
“We also wish to highlight that AirAsia was the first airline to connect Kuala Lumpur and Sandakan with direct flights when we commenced four times weekly flights on 7 April 2003. We remain committed to the route, increasing flight frequency to 18 times weekly.
“To date, we have flown over 5 million guests to and from Sandakan. We have invested substantially in marketing the route, by providing millions of free and promotional seats. These promotional fares, which are sold based on a first come, first served basis have been tremendously enjoyed by Sabahans.”
AirAsia Group CEO Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, tweeted yesterday, criticising some MPs who “never stop complaining” despite everything that AirAsia had done to service the people of Sabah and Sarawak. He questioned why “these MPs did not complain about the 100% increase Malaysian airports charge poor first-time travellers.”
To which Bung Moktar responded, “Concern over increasing airport charges has already been voiced inside the Dewan Rakyat by my BN colleague, Bintulu MP Tiong King Sing.”
Aired also invited the MP to review the differences in facilities and services between airport terminals in Malaysia and look into customer opinions and feedback, “The rakyat in Sandakan are being forced to pay the same airport tax as travellers who use KLIA for far inferior services”.
Bung Moktar is known for his awkward outbursts.
Years ago, following Germany’s trashing of Brazil 7-1 in the semi-finals of the World Cup, he had tweeted, “WELL DONE..BRAVO…LONG LIVE HITLER”. In 2007 his “bocor” remark made headlines when he referred to former Batu Gajah MP Fong Po Kuan’s menstruation cycle when arguing about Parliament’s ceiling that was leaking.
AirAsia’s statement also mentions, “AirAsia Foundation has supported the work of 19 social enterprises. One of the biggest project is in Sabah, where we provide funding to enable poor community in remote rural areas have access to clean renewable energy.
“This on-going initiative is expected to benefit at least 300 families in six villages in Sabah.
“This year, we launched five new routes into East Malaysia, including Kuching-Langkawi, Kuching-Pontianak, Bintulu-Singapore, Kuching-Shenzhen and Tawau-Johor Bahru, and increased flight frequencies on several key East Malaysia routes.”
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