Netizens Angry Over Pricey Flight Tickets For Election Weekend, MAB To Issue 20% Discount For Voters

By Quinny Tan  •  21 Oct 2022 in News

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Just minutes after the Election Commission announced the polling dates for the 15th general election (GE15), voters saw an incredible surge in the prices of flight tickets during the election weekend.

Flight-booking websites have been swamped following the long-awaited announcement of the polling dates. Trouble is, airline tickets have become way more expensive.

According to one netizen, a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Kuching is RM500 with Malaysia Airlines, and RM720 for AirAsia.

A check by Malay Mail found that direct economy flights between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur cost RM2,376 on AirAsia and RM744 on Malaysia Airlines during the election weekend.

In response to this, transport minister Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong has said that the Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM) will regulate the prices of flight tickets to ensure airlines do not increase prices arbitrarily ahead of GE15.

According to Bernama, the Transport Ministry advised MAVCOM to set a ceiling price for airline tickets to ensure that voters can exercise their democratic right without having to bear additional costs.

Wee explained that flight ticket prices would normally increase according to the dynamic pricing mechanism, which typically happens if there was an event involving a large number of passenger movements.

Even so, he said MAVCOM would take actions if airlines were found to have raised prices against the set conditions.

“Based on the dynamic pricing mechanism for any airline in the world, the earlier it (the ticket) is booked, the cheaper it is and the closer to a date or event, the price will be higher,” he explained.

Late last night, Malaysia Airlines Bhd launched its “Jom Balik Mengundi” campaign, offering as much as 20% discounted fares to help voters travel.

Passengers can book the tickets from Thursday (20 October) to 19 November for travel between 11 to 27 November, the airline said in a statement.

The 20% discount applies to all fare categories: Lite, Basic and Flex for Economy Class, and Basic and Flex for Business Class.

The airline will also add 26 additional flights and operate 16 domestic flights with wide-body A330 aircraft to meet increasing demand on several routes in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak.

Meanwhile, Firefly Airlines will offer up to 70 additional flights from Subang and Penang to selected domestic routes from 17 – 20 November, with 24% and 10% discounted fares for jet and ATR-operated flights respectively.

The promotion is available for booking from now until 24 October, for travel from 1 November to 30 June next year.

“We are prepared to meet the increase in travel, while offering smooth and reliable connectivity and ensuring our customers’ highest level of safety and security throughout their journey with us.”

“Customers are encouraged to take advantage of the promotions and book their flights early, for the best deals on Malaysia Airlines, Firefly or MASwings,” said Malaysia Aviation Group chief executive officer Captain Izham Ismail.

Safe travels and happy voting!