Lee speaks to reporters. — Photo by Roystein Emmor
KUCHING (April 19): The government’s agreement with various parties to help reduce the price of one-way economy class airfares from Peninsular Malaysia to various destinations in Sarawak for the festive season is a relief for travellers, said Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin.
The Minister for Transport said airfares have reduced significantly for the period from April 27 to May 8.
“This is thanks to the agreement between the federal government and the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom), the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM), and domestic airlines,” he told reporters last night.
He said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s decision to solve public complaints on high airfares during the festive season also helped contribute to the drop in prices.
However, Lee reminded those wishing to travel to Sarawak for the festive season to still book their tickets early.
“Don’t wait for the last minute because it is better for you to book flight tickets early through the website (of the airlines) because the ticketing system is based on dynamic pricing.
“The lowest price is adjusted based on real-time supply and demand,” he said.
Lee said his ministry would continue to monitor the situation.
He was responding to a statement by federal Transport Minister Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong yesterday that the price of one-way economy class flight tickets from Peninsular Malaysia to various destinations in Sabah and Sarawak had dropped significantly for flights during the Hari Raya Aidilfitri festive season from April 27 to May 8.
Wee said based on Mavcom’s observation on April 16, the one-way economy fare for that period is between RM105 and RM1,398, while for April 29 to May 1 (peak period), the one-way fare is between RM195 and RM1,398.
The majority of airline ticket prices available for the purchase for all one-way economy routes to Sabah and Sarawak during this period were between RM300 and RM500, he said.
This was in contrast to prices before April 14, where the price range for one-way economy class tickets for the said period was between RM105 and RM2,084, whereas the peak period fare was between RM195 and RM2,084.