Festive exodus for CNY begins with city folk traversing roads and sky
PETALING JAYA: As the Chinese New Year draws near, city dwellers have their hearts set on reuniting with loved ones ahead of the festive celebrations.
Many were seen embarking on their cherished balik kampung journeys over the weekend.
A snapshot of this annual rush unfolded in Terminal Bersepadu Selatan at Bandar Tasik Selatan.
There were long queues of passengers, patience mixed with eagerness, at ticket counters and kiosks, and departure hall.
Similarly, at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), Malaysians of all backgrounds were spotted navigating the bustling terminals before the festivity which also coincided with the long school holidays.
Meanwhile, to cater to the travel demands during the holidays, Malaysia Airlines has introduced 102 additional red-eye flights, bringing the total to 219 weekly flights between Kuala Lumpur and Sabah and Sarawak.
Malaysia Aviation Group managing director Datuk Capt Izham Ismail said the additional capacity would help to increase convenience and support the time of togetherness during the festival.
“Chinese New Year is a time for togetherness. We are proud to support our customers with additional capacity and fixed fares to make their journeys more convenient and memorable.
“This is made possible through the government’s support in making air travel affordable for Malaysians and ensuring they can reunite with their loved ones with ease.
“We look forward to welcoming over 190,000 domestic passengers travelling onboard Malaysia Airlines during this festive holiday period,” he said yesterday.
Earlier, a ceremony was held with Transport Minister Anthony Loke to send off two red-eye fixed-fare flights at KLIA’s Terminal 1.
As part of the programme, Loke distributed goodies at the boarding gate to departing passengers on Flight MH7414 to Tawau and MH7436 to Sandakan to commemorate the occasion.
The airline is also offering fixed all-in, one-way fares starting from RM399 to and from Sabah and RM349 to and from Sarawak, available exclusively on Malaysia Airlines’ official website and mobile app.
