Airfares To Sabah, Sarawak During Raya Significantly Reduced Due To Increased Flight Frequencies

Alex Cheong Pui Yin

20th April 2022 - 3 min read

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong said that the price of flight tickets to East Malaysia for the Hari Raya festive season has dropped significantly. This came following discussions with various industry players, including the Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM), the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM), and domestic airlines.

Specifically, the minister commented that one-way economy class flight tickets from Peninsular Malaysia to Sabah and Sarawak (for the period of 27 April to 8 May 2022) are now considerably cheaper.

“Based on MAVCOM’s observation on 16 April, the one-way economy fare for that period (27 April to 8 May) is between RM105 and RM1,398, while for 29 April to 1 May (peak period), the one-way fare is between RM195 and RM1,398. Out of this price fare range, the majority of airline ticket prices available for the purchase for all one-way economy routes to Sabah and Sarawak during this period are only between RM300 and RM500,” Datuk Seri Wee stated, adding that the public should take advantage of the reduced price and plan their travels now.

This updated price range for trips to Sabah and Sarawak is in comparison to earlier airfares, which – according to a Bernama report in early April – surged past RM2,000 (return flights) during the 29 April-8 May period. This was essentially an increase of about 566% from regular fares of RM300, said the news agency. Unsurprisingly, this led to a public outcry, which then prompted the government to conduct a detailed investigation into the matter.

Meanwhile, the secretary-general of the Ministry of Transport, Datuk Isham Ishak, explained that the price drop is possible because airline operators have increased the frequency of flights to meet the people’s needs. “This is because we have managed to increase flight frequency by having the planes redeployed to focus on this (festival) sector,” he said.

Malaysia Airlines (MAS), for instance, announced that it is preparing 20 additional frequencies from Kuala Lumpur to Kuching, Sandakan, Tawau, and Kota Kinabalu during the peak travel period of Hari Raya. This translates to over 7,000 additional seats now available, which allows fares to be dynamically adjusted to cheaper rates.

On top of that, MAS is also offering up to 20% discount to all domestic destinations in conjunction with the Hari Raya celebration, for bookings made from 19 to 27 April 2022. The travel period begins immediately, up until 31 July 2022. Under this promo, travellers can fly from Kuala Lumpur to destinations in Peninsular Malaysia starting from the price of RM139 (all-in). Meanwhile, flights to Sabah and Sarawak will start at RM262 (all-in) and RM209 (all-in), respectively.

(Sources: Malay Mail [1, 2], Malaysia Airlines)

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Alex Cheong Pui Yin

Previously covered recruitment-related stories and had a short stint as a copywriter for the property industry. She subsequently developed an interest in investment and robo-advisors.

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