As the Raya holiday inches all the more closer, everyone’s racing against each other to get the cheapest flight ticket back to their hometown before it hikes up.
Former and current Transport Ministers Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong and Anthony Loke are currently engaged in a spar of words online after the former claimed that it cost more than RM3,000 for a return economy class ticket during the Raya period.
Claimed ticket cost more than RM3,000
In a Facebook post by Wee today, the former Transport Minister showed a screenshot of a economy flight ticket from Kuala Lumpur to Tawau which came at a hefty price of RM3,138.
In the caption, he expressed his shock and disappointment over the price given the fact that airline companies were no longer bound by Covid-19 restrictions and the three-month maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) process.
How are the B40 & M40 especially those from Tawau who are in Semenanjung Malaysia going to celebrate the festive season this year?
“I urge the airlines to reconsider the high airfares and be considerate to the people as this has caused a huge burden on them.
“Please do not give the impression that the airlines are out to recover their losses suffered during the pandemic within a short period of time by exploiting the current situation and imposing higher airfares,” he wrote.
Loke: ‘It’s for business class, not economy’
Shortly after Wee’s post, Loke responded to his claim, saying that his predecessor should “check his facts” before making such statements.
In a Facebook post, Loke said he had reached out to Malaysia Airlines Bhd (MAB) group chief executive officer Izham Ismail, who informed him that all economy tickets had sold out, leaving only business class tickets which cost only RM2,863.40.
In fact, it has been confirmed that the ticket he (Wee) is referring to is business class, not economy.
“This fact must be corrected. As a former transport minister himself, I am confident Wee understands the difference between an economy and business class ticket,” he wrote.
Nonetheless, Loke thanked Wee for giving his feedback on the matter and said that he would be holding a special press conference at noon tomorrow concerning flight capacities during the Raya period.
Wee holds his ground
However, Wee refused to back down from his previous statement and doubled down on it instead in the latest Facebook post.
In the post, he attached a photo of three handphones showing the price of the flight ticket from Kuala Lumpur to Tawau, where it displayed the RM3,138 figure.
He also called Loke’s statement “baseless” and urged him to retract it. He also urged the Transport Ministry (MOT) and Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM) to look into why Malaysia Airlines’ (MAS) website listed only business class tickets as available while other apps continue to list economy tickets for RM3,138.
A check by WeirdKaya found that on Air Asia’s website for a one-way economy ticket for a MAS flight from Kuala Lumpur to Tawau on Apr 20, the same date and platform Wee referred to, has several options, with the cheapest at RM1,933 and the priciest at RM5,437.
What do you think of the issue? Let us know in the comments!
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