Yee Tsai Yew
KOTA KINABALU: It is high time for the Government to put a stop to unscrupulous practices by airline operators to increase airfares during the festive season, said Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) Api-Api Division Information Chief Yee Tsai Yew.
She said the Transport Ministry’s approval to increase flight frequency during the festive season should reflect in more competitive ticket prices, but this does not seem to be the case currently.
“Air travel in Sabah and Sarawak is an essential service, not a luxury, hence a need for the Government to step in and put a ceiling to the airfare, especially during festive seasons to protect the passengers from being exploited,” said the former Kota Kinabalu PBS-GRS candidate in a statement today.
“As such we call upon the Deputy Prime Minister for Sabah and Sarawak to voice out on these irresponsible practices by airline operators as this exploitive business nature has been going on for too long and the people of Sabah and Sarawak ultimately have to pay dearly to these unscrupulous operators,” she added.
She said previously only MAS and AirAsia serve domestic routes hence the higher prices, but with more domestic airline operators servicing these routes such as Malindo and MYAirline, prices during festive seasons should be more competitive.
“If local airlines are unable to provide competitive pricing during the festive season then the Government should consider opening the market to stop the monopoly,” said Yew.
She also suggested alternatively, maybe the time is right for the State Government to initiate a feasibility study on setting up its own airlines similar to what the Sarawak Government have proposed to ensure air travel to Sabah remains affordable.
