Loke advises Wee not to issue confusing statements

PUTRAJAYA - Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook advises Ayer Hitam MP Wee Ka Siong not to issue confusing statements.

Loke said as a former minister with knowledge in the airline industry, Wee should educate the public on how to obtain the best prices for tickets by comparing it on various applications instead of only one.

"The former minister (Wee) would have known that Malaysia Airlines (MAS) has its own application. Why are you checking for MAS tickets on the AirAsia application?.

"It is similar to wanting to buy KFC but going to McDonald's," he said in a press conference at the ministry, today.

"He said the public might not understand how ticket prices were set by the airline company or mechanisms used to set the prices.

"However, he should know this as a former minister," he said.

Loke said 78 per cent of MAS seats were sold throughout the festive season with the price between RM209 and RM841 for the economy class.

"AirAsia offers a flat rate of RM199 to Sarawak and RM249 to Sabah to fulfil the demands for Aidilfitri," he said.

Loke said it was undeniable that there were expensive tickets, but it was common for last minute ticket purchases.

"I openly invite him (Wee) to a ceremony of the departure of a flight to Tawau on Thursday at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) 2 at 10.15pm if he doesn't believe that there are cheap fares, so he can interview each pasenger," he said.

Loke confirmed that the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) did not receive any complaints on ticket prices during the festive season.