Media Statement by YB Kelvin Yii:
The Federal Government and even the State Government should do more to help the airlines companies including subsidies and tax incentives to reduce the cost of flight tickets especially from West Malaysia to Sabah and Sarawak especially during this period when everyone is affected significantly due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
This morning I raised this issue in Parliament for the Minister of Transport YB Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong to answer. The Minister continues to justify the high prices on a cabinet decision made in 2006 where the government then which allows the airlines to control air ticket prices themselves using a dynamic pricing mechanism and the concept of cross-subsidisation, that is, profitable flights will cover the operating cost of non-profitable routes.
While I fully understand such mechanism especially during normal times, but I strongly believe more can be done to adapt to the changing times especially during this pandemic to ensure that higher cost due which may be due to low flight frequency, is not passed down fully to the consumers especially when the people are struggling.
In most of these cases, such travels are a necessity especially those who want to travel back either for work, health emergency or even a trip to be with family. This includes our frontliners who has served us all this while and just intends to travel back home for a short rest after their busy posting in one of their hospitals in the peninsular over the peak of Covid-19 period but are unable too due to the excessive price of tickets.
Not only high flight ticket prices, but flights schedules are constantly changing and even when a ticket is purchased, the flights frequently get re-timed even to a different day. This is not just cause inconvenience to the public, but also incur higher cost for them who may need to spend extra to stay longer at their port of departation.
So, while I understand the rationale of such mechanism that was decided in Cabinet in 2006 at that time, but now during these unprecedented times, all it takes is more political will to do the necessary interventions during this unprecedented period to ensure the people are not further burdened. They cannot rely on a decision pre-pandemic especially when it heavily burdens the people.
On top of that, I request that this government considers giving special flight ticket prices during festive seasons just like what was done under the Pakatan Harapan government. Since many festive seasons are coming and inter-state travels are now allowed, the government should be pro-active to discuss with the airlines companies and provide a conducive environment to allow them to offer special prices for Sabahans and Sarawakians to travel back.
Even so, I strongly encourage all those that are flying to strictly comply with all necessary Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) set by the National Security Council, Health Ministry for their own safety and safety of their loved ones. While it is not required but I also encourage travellers to do frequent self-test before they fly and before they meet their loved ones especially those in the high risk categories just for extra precautions.
Kelvin Yii Lee Wuen
MP Bandar Kuching
