KUCHING, Oct 21: Sarawak Transport Minister Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin has personally phoned the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) to address the flight fare hike due to high demand with the 15th General Election (GE15) around the corner.
Lee said he had requested airlines to increase flight frequencies and use larger aircraft such as the Airbus A350 which can carry between 300 to 400 passengers per flight.
He said official letters were also written to Mavcom and all available airlines regarding the requests, in hopes to reduce flight fares and ensure voters can return home to vote.
“Nonetheless, we also urge the public especially the voters to plan ahead for their journey and purchase their flight tickets in advance rather than buying at the last minute.
“This is because most of the airlines are using the Dynamic Pricing mechanism in their Revenue Management System where prices will respond to demand as informed by Mavcom,” said Lee in a statement today.
He said the ministry trusts that airlines will reciprocate the decision in approving higher flight frequencies into Sarawak as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative.
The ministry also believes that with the increase in flight frequency to Sarawak, it will will generate healthy competition among the airline operators. — DayakDaily
