AYER HITAM: The objective of highlighting exorbitant airfares is not to point fingers at anyone but to call for an investigation if one is due, says Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.
The MCA president and Ayer Hitam MP said he did not intend to “quarrel” with anyone when highlighting a complaint brought to him by the public.
“I merely questioned why the airfare for a one-way ticket from Kuala Lumpur to Tawau was RM3,138 as shown on a super app,” he told a press conference on Tuesday (April 18) before handing out Hari Raya Aidilfitri aid to mosques, surau and the less fortunate in his parliamentary constituency here.
He added that Transport Minister Anthony Loke himself said direct flights to Sabah ranged from RM200 to RM800 depending on the time the tickets were brought.
Earlier, Loke said on Facebook that after checking with Malaysia Airlines, the price of the airfare was actually RM2,863.40 for business class and not economy class as claimed by Dr Wee.
“If that is so, why is there such a great difference in the pricing? Who is making money (from this)? That is what should be investigated as we should be looking out for the consumer,” said Dr Wee, who is former transport minister.
He added that the screenshots showing the high airfare were genuine and had not been doctored.
He said in a time when apps such as Agoda and Booking.com are commonly used to make purchases and bookings, the issue of pricing should be monitored and investigated.
He also called on Loke not to divert attention from the core issue by inviting him (Dr Wee) to send off a fixed-fare flight from Kuala Lumpur to Tawau on Thursday (April 20) night.
Dr Wee also called on the relevant authorities such as the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) and the Transport Ministry to look into the matter.
