The new initiative, ‘Everyday low fares’, is part of Malaysia Airline’s (MAS) successful Business Turnaround Plan (BTP), which is into its second year, and offers one million zero fares to domestic destinations around the Asean region.
Malaysia Airlines MD and CEO, Dato’ Sri Idris Jala said: “We recently said that Malaysia Airlines was transforming into the world’s five-star value carrier and we promised that customers will be able to enjoy five-star services at low prices.”
Consumers will still get the usual service perks of a normal flight. “This is a win-win situation for all; our customers enjoy low fares and five-star services while we fill up our planes,” said Jala.
“We are not losing any revenue from this, as the seats represent 30 per cent of surplus seats which would otherwise be unsold.” AirAsia has retaliated with a campaign offering to pay consumers the difference in fares if they find AirAsia’s budget fares to be higher than those offered by MAS.
Tony Fernandes, AirAsia’s chief executive officer, has voiced his frustration at not being able to compete with MAS on various flight routes, and has called for an opening up of the country’s aviation industry.
