MAS DENIES REDUCTION IN KK-KL FLIGHTS

MAS denies reduction in KK-KL flights

Kota Kinabalu Jan 01, 2012: Malaysia Airline Systems (MAS) has denied any reduction in flights from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu.

According to its Corporate Communications and Admin Executive, Rozanah Robert, MAS has not reduced its operations from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu and vice versa.

"We operate 66 weekly flights between Kota Kinabalu and Kuala Lumpur, offering an average capacity of 9,504 seats in each direction.

"Our scheduled flights operated daily are currently fully booked in economy class due to on-going demand, especially during the whole month of December coinciding the year-end school holidays and festive season.

"We still have business class seats on these flights to cater for the existing demand."

She said MAS is closely monitoring its flight situation and will mount extra flights when the need arises to accommodate the demand.

She said in some instances, Malaysia Airlines had also upgraded existing flights to bigger aircraft where possible to accommodate the waiting list passengers.

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Cancellation of flights troubling many: DAP

"These people are complaining about the rescheduled flights which have been re-routed to transit in Kuala Lumpur instead of going by direct flights to the overseas destination, like those in China, Japan or Australia, and even to Sandakan in Sabah,"

"This indicated that the two airlines are having a common interest now,"

"A businessman told me that the re-routing via Kuala Lumpur may not suit everyone's travel plan and not forgetting the time spent waiting for connecting flights. We want MAS to look into all these problems carefully and to check with us first to find the acceptable solution on the flight plan before they change the schedule. This has resulted in many travellers cancelling their booking with MAS and booking other airlines, and ending up paying more,"

"MAS did not bother about the problems faced by the people and this is not the first time. The airline has a role to serve the people in the country and not thinking of profit only. In some cases, the route might not be profitable but in order to serve the community and meet the needs, the route must be maintained even at a loss, and especially because this is our national airline,"

DAP Member of Parliament Hiew King Cheu

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'Sabah Air plan sounds like knee jerk reaction'

"Why are the so-called authorities taking such a long time to proceed with the application? Why is the Transport Ministry not stepped in immediately to work on the transition plan before the MAS international flights were suspended to Kota Kinabalu last month? We have a Sabahan who is a Deputy Minister of Transport,"

"To add salt to injury, the State Government has a stake in MAS through Warisan Harta Sabah (WHSSB). Are they too sleeping in their job?

Why were these matters not planned for a proper transition for Sabah Air Aviation Sdn Bhd to take over smoothly?"

"MAS has to at least fulfil its corporate social responsibility to the people of Sabah,"

PKR Supreme Council member cum Sabah Secretary, Dr Roland Chia