Local airline companies, Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia, met with outrage by netizens yesterday for allegedly raising their fares on flights that take place during the weekend of the recently announced 15th general election (GE15). To ensure that these companies are not taking advantage of the upcoming election by hiking up ticket prices, transport minister Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong has ordered the Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM) to regulate the situation.

In a statement to reporters yesterday, Wee explained that airline fares would normally increase according to the Dynamic Price Mechanism if there are events involving a large number of passenger movements, such as holidays and so on. Naturally, the earlier the ticket is booked, the cheaper it is and the closer to a date or event, the price will be higher. However, the minister assured that MAVCOM would take action if airlines are found to have raised prices against the set conditions.

According to a report by news outlet Malay Mail yesterday, at least two Twitter users have complained regarding the surge of ticket prices for flights taking place during the period. The first of which, @ierrapaisan, revealed that Malaysia Airlines is charging around RM 500 for a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Kuching, whereas AirAsia charges around RM 700. User @IcedNyior, on the other hand, shared that the latter redirected her sister to a new price of around RM 730 instead of the initial RM 360 for a flight from Johor Bahru to Kuching after experiencing an error code when booking a flight via its website.

Based on our findings, it appears that both Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia have already adjusted their respective pricings for round-trip flights from KL to Kuching that take place during GE15 weekend. The first of which is currently offering flights departing on 18 November at a starting price of RM 332.09 while the return trip on 20 November starts from RM 209.13, totalling up to RM 619.71 after additional fees. Meanwhile, the latter airline is offering its departure flights starting from RM 289 while the return trip starts from RM 169, which totals up to RM 458 after additional charges.

Of course, this isn’t the first time that users – especially those originating from the states of Sarawak and Sabah – had experienced drastic price hikes in airline fares for flights from Peninsular to East Malaysia. Earlier this year, it was reported that airlines had also increased ticket prices during the Hari Raya Aidilfitri season, which also resulted in an investigation by the Ministry of Transport and MAVCOM.

(Source: Bernama / Malay Mail)

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