SANDAKAN – Sabahans appreciate the government’s effort to fix airfare prices for Chinese New Year at RM348 one-way from Kuala Lumpur to three airports in Sabah – but they still wish it was cheaper.
A Sabahan working in Kuala Lumpur, Alvin Ngai, 28, said the price is still costly for a family of three, which would have to pay over RM2,000 for return air tickets.
“Given the difficult economy right now, I don’t think a lot of people could afford this kind of travel expenses.
“As for me, I am still considering if I want to go back to Sandakan for Chinese New Year because RM696 (return flights) is still quite expensive for me.
“I hope that in the future, the government would subsidise the travelling expense for Sabahans working in the peninsula to about RM500 for return tickets per person,” he told Scoop.
However, Ngai said that he was happy that the government is at least taking the initiative to control the prices, as previous years saw airfares soaring as high as RM1,000 during festive seasons.
Another Sabahan working in Kuala Lumpur, Lily Chin, 32, said that the fixed airfares were reasonable, but the cheaper air tickets are only available for flights that are scheduled early in the morning at about 6am, while airfares for flights departing at about 10am are set higher at about RM480.
“But it is considered cheap for a peak period because normally the airfares are about RM400 one-way (Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu),” she said.
On January 5, Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced that AirAsia will offer travellers flying to Sabah and Sarawak fixed ticket prices from February 5 to February 15 (except February 10) at a minimum price of RM348 between Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, or Tawau; and between Johor Bahru and Kota Kinabalu.
AirAsia is also offering cheaper fares for flights between Kuala Lumpur and Sarawak (Kuching, Sibu, Bintulu, or Miri) at RM298 one-way.
This has led to Sabahans questioning why the price to Sarawak is cheaper than to Sabah.
Elopura assemblyman Calvin Chong in a statement said the RM50 difference was unfair to Sabahans, and that the prices should be fixed at the same rate for both states.
However, he said he was still thankful for the government’s intervention in controlling flight ticket prices.
Meanwhile, Sandakan MP Vivian Wong Shir Yee told Scoop she believed Putrajaya would also control the ceiling price of airfares during other festive seasons in the future, including Aidilfitri and the Harvest Festival (Kaamatan).
She said she had recently discussed the matter with Transport Minister Anthony Loke, and believed that Loke would ensure that airfares would remain reasonable and affordable for the Sabahans working in the peninsula. – January 8, 2024