KUCHING: AirBorneo's fixed airfares will remain unchanged even during festive seasons and peak travel periods, says Datuk Mohamad Abu Bakar Marzuki.
The AirBorneo Holdings Sdn Bhd chairman said the state-owned airline aimed to stabilise airfares with its fixed price model.
"During peak seasons especially, we have seen airfares going up to RM1,000. But as for us, we have a fixed price," he said at a media roundtable here on Wednesday (July 8).
He added that whether passengers fly during Hari Raya or Gawai, or buy tickets at the last minute, the price will remain the same.
AirBorneo opened ticket sales for its Kuching-Kuala Lumpur route on Tuesday (July 7) with an all-in, one-way economy class fare of RM375.
Mohamad Abu Bakar said other airlines were now offering similar ticket prices following the fare announcement of AirBorneo.
“It means that we managed to stabilise the price. We cannot make everyone satisfied, but along the way we will keep improving to ensure we can provide the best service to the people,” he said.
AirBorneo chief executive officer Megat Ardian Aminuddin said the RM375 fare was based on pricing analysis over the last six months. The process involved benchmarking the average low fare of other carriers for the Kuching-Kuala Lumpur route.
He said this was an all-in fare inclusive of airport taxes, fuel surcharges, seat selection, on-board meals, 10kg cabin baggage and 23kg checked-in baggage.
“The booking period is when we test the market to see how the competition reacts and more importantly, how passengers react and where demand is coming from. This data is important for us to chart our future onwards and to see how the route performs,” he said.
Megat Ardian also said AirBorneo was looking at network rationalisation for its existing rural air services (RAS) in Sarawak, Sabah and Labuan.
He said low-load flights would be merged for improved operational efficiency while high-demand routes would be maintained.
“We will not close any routes but the flight frequency will be reduced because of lower loads,” he said, adding that the new schedule will be announced after the details are finalised with the federal Transport Ministry.
AirBorneo currently carries 60,000 to 70,000 passengers a month on its RAS routes. These routes are served by 14 turboprop aircraft comprising eight ATR 72-500s and six Twin Otters.
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Keywords: AirBorneo, Fares, Travel, Kuching, Airline, Aviation, Sarawak, Megat Ardian, Transport, Festive
