PUTRAJAYA: Flight tickets for the next Chinese New Year festive season are available now and travellers should book early to avoid paying a higher price later, says Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.
The Transport Minister said these ticket prices range from between RM300 and RM400.
‘’People should buy early if they have plans to go home. Otherwise, any later or last-minute purchase will result in high ticket prices.
‘’This is because all flight tickets are determined through dynamic pricing mechanisms,’’ he said at the open house hosted by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob and Cabinet members at Seri Perdana here.
Dr Wee was responding to complaints of high flight ticket prices during the Hari Raya festive season.
He said the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war had affected global oil prices and, subsequently, flight tickets for all domestic and international flights.
‘’Before this, a flight ticket to China only cost several thousand ringgit but it’s impossible now, (costing) tens of thousands of ringgit.
‘’It’s not to say they are doing this deliberately, but it is due to the increase in oil prices.
“And we have to consider the demand too,’’ he said, adding that he had asked the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) to monitor the prices.
Dr Wee said prices of flight tickets cannot be controlled when purchased at the eleventh hour.
He called on those who complained about high ticket prices for their domestic flights and those whose flights were changed at the last minute to direct their complaints with specific details for Mavcom to investigate and take action.
‘’An airline cannot simply change a flight schedule on the excuse of insufficient staff because they should have expected the high demand during the peak season.’’
He also called for a more integrated approach for all public transport operators, such as airlines, trains and buses to come up with more routes during the peak season to address the high demand.
Reference: https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2022/05/09/book-cny-flight-tickets-now