KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 5): The Ministry of Transport (MOT) should give a directive to the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) to set a ceiling price for airline tickets when the 15th general election (GE15) comes, said Bayan Baru Member of Parliament Sim Tze Tzin.
During a press conference at the Parliament building on Wednesday (Oct 5), Sim suggested for airline tickets to be fixed at the “cost price” level to facilitate voters’ transportation for the GE15.
“If there is a dissolution [of Parliament] tomorrow, then [Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong should] give a direction to Mavcom today,” the PKR politician said.
Sim also called on various airline companies to exercise their social responsibility during the GE15, and double the frequency of flights, especially with 7.8 million young voters added to the electoral roll for the GE15.
“Most of them (young voters) study in colleges and universities, or work in urban areas. They should be given the opportunity to head back to their hometown to fulfil their responsibilities,” he said.
Including the 7.8 million young voters, Sim said the number of voters for the GE15 is now approximately 23 million.
“The election is not the time to make profit. Airlines should run national service for the country,” he said.
“I openly call for Tan Sri Tony Fernandes (a co-founder of AirAsia), MAS (Malaysia Airlines), Firefly, and also Malindo and Batik Air to do it.”
Aside from that, Sim also urged Mavcom, as a regulator, to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the recent pricing of airline tickets to protect the interests of passengers.
"The recent increase in the price of plane tickets was much higher than the 3.4% year-on-year increase in inflation in June 2022. I am a frequent flyer and according to my experience, it was certainly a more than 60% [increase in ticket prices],” he said.
“Cheap tickets are getting harder to get. Dynamic ticket pricing used by airlines has been manipulated to make a profit.”
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