PETALING JAYA: With year-end approaching and back-to-back festivities, the demand for flight tickets is soaring but the good news is that airfares to several main domestic destinations are reasonable for now.
Return tickets to Penang during the Chinese New Year period show that the cheapest option was Firefly at RM349, followed by Malaysia Airlines at RM410 and AirAsia at RM446.
A round trip during the same period to Johor Baru offered by Firefly starts from RM300.
However, checks on Google Flights yesterday showed that the cheap fares are not going to last for long.
Based on the website, return flight tickets to Kota Kinabalu from Kuala Lumpur have reached over RM1,000 on some airlines during the travel period that coincides with the celebration.
The cheapest return flight for the destination was RM720 on Malaysia Airlines, RM871 (AirAsia), RM1,053 (Firefly) and RM1,884 (Batik Air).
The site also showed that the price of tickets offered by the airlines during the period from Feb 9 to Feb 15, 2024 has been higher than the non-peak season which should be between RM320 and RM580. This rise was due to the dynamic pricing mechanism practised by airline operators.
The dynamic pricing mechanism uses artificial intelligence to determine the price, taking into account fuel costs, airport taxes and demand from the public.
The government had encouraged airline operators to increase the frequency of their flights in order to reduce dynamic pricing.
This move has been made by several airlines during the festive season this year by adding more flights that allowed them to offer special discounts.
Closer to the Deepavali celebrations, Batik Air group strategy director Datuk Chandran Rama Muthy said there was a 10% increase in flight reservations.
As such, Chandran said they had decided to increase the flight frequency to Penang starting Oct 29.
“We have increased our flights to Penang with three daily flights as a permanent fixture,” he told The Star.
Chandran also suggested people make early bookings and plan their travel in advance to secure better prices.
Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations chief executive officer Dr Saravanan Thambirajah said the government should introduce a special ceiling rate, especially for destinations in rural areas in Sabah and Sarawak.
He said that the government must continuously monitor airfares to ensure there isn’t any distortion in the market.
“A special subsidy can be also provided to vulnerable groups such as persons with disabilities and students,” he said.
Saravanan also called for airlines to continue to have healthy competition by providing promotional rates during festive seasons. As for consumers, he said they should make informed decisions by making comparisons before purchasing their tickets.
“Avoid booking at the last minute to avoid high prices. Book and plan early. If possible, always buy a ticket that has refund options,” he added.
Consumers Association of Penang president Mohideen Abdul Kader said that while it was fair for airline operators to decide on airfares, the government should intervene if the prices skyrocketed.
“Festive seasons should not be exploited by airlines for profiteering. “Consumers can plan their trips early if possible and they can check the different airlines for the best deal.
“There are websites that explain the factors that determine flight ticket prices,” he said.
