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Transport Minister Anthony Loke has asked those who have bought Malaysia Airlines (MAS) economy class direct flight tickets from Kuala Lumpur to Tawau at RM3,138 to bring the tickets to him.
Loke said the ministry will investigate the case if these people were really paying more than they should.
He shared that the average ticket prices for an economy class direct flight to Sabah ranged from RM200 to RM800, depending on the time the tickets were bought.
READ MORE: [Watch] Woman Cries When Forced To Buy Expensive Flight Ticket To Sabah
On Sunday, former transport minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong pointed out on Twitter that the economy flight tickets from Kuala Lumpur to Tawau on 20 April for MAS cost RM3,138 on the AirAsia Super App.
However, Loke checked with MAS and it was revealed that the tickets at that price are for business class tickets. Loke said the MAS tickets sold under the AirAsia Super App are still valid, The Star reported.
The price debate has also made MAS seek an injunction against AirAsia Super App for selling MAS tickets online. Apparently, MAS did not authorise AirAsia Super App to sell tickets on its behalf.
Dr Wee’s post garnered some criticism from netizens because he surveyed MAS ticket prices on AirAsia’s app. He also doubled down on it by showing a screenshot of the ticket prices on three different phones.
Netizens wondered if he knew how to buy flight tickets and believe he should have taken it up with AirAsia for misrepresenting prices instead.
U search MAS flight on AA app, if u search on MAS app, u will see those available seat are BUSINESS class in the same flight… The problem is AA app… 🤷🏻♂️ Throw away all your 3 phones… Rasa mcm bodoh kena explain menda mcm ni… pic.twitter.com/0j0bJQNv3L
— Maxie (@maxzchua) April 16, 2023
Ko ni kan wee buat malu la weii. Tak di buat orang nak naik MAS p beli kat app air asia. Lagi satu btul la ko nak bsing psl harga tix mahal tp cari beli tix pun dah salah. Then ko dulu lagi KO. bukan psl tix flight je, psl public transport bla3 hancurrrrr . So baik ko 🤐🤐
— debunker (@00000q7) April 16, 2023
He should be taking it up with Airasia for misrepresentation of information on their app instead of doubling down on a mistake.
— Aileen (@Howa902) April 17, 2023
Amid the criticism, Dr Wee claimed many people used apps such as the AirAsia Super App to find and compare deals. He said it’s similar to how people use aggregator sites like Agoda and Booking.com to survey for the best deals.
If there are allegations of unreasonable price hikes for certain airlines’ tickets on these apps, isn’t it the responsibility of the Transport Ministry and its agencies to check and make sure consumers are not being taken for a ride?
Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong
On Facebook yesterday, Dr Wee wanted to know what can the ministry do to lower the prices of flight tickets to Tawau that cost above RM1,000.
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