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S'pore-KL Route May See Cheaper Tickets
Relief may be in sight for those who fly between Singapore and Malaysia - whose constant bugbears are the high fares and limited seats - now that the two countries are talking of expanding and improving air links between them.
Reports that prime ministers Lee Hsien Loong and Abdullah Ahmad Badawi are keen to open up the routes to boost tourism and business traffic have left travellers interviewed hopeful, while airlines said they are only waiting for the two governments to say 'Go' to act.
The route that frequent commuters hope will receive immediate attention is the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur one - one of Asia's most protected and the fourth busiest - which had more than 1.9 million passengers between April 2002 and March last year, according to the latest figures from the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines.
Ironically, the cheapest way to fly from Singapore to the Malaysian capital today is via Bangkok - a detour of 2,500km. This is because budget airlines have pushed down the price of flights from Singapore to Bangkok. In one promotion, a one-way ticket to the Thai capital was going for 49 cents. From there, it can cost as little as $43 to get to KL.
Alternatively, flying budget carrier Tiger Airways to Bangkok and switching to no-frills AirAsia to KL would cost about $160 return, even without the promotional fares. That is even cheaper than the Singapore-KL shuttle provided by Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Malaysia Airlines (MAS), which costs $189 return and for which travellers could have to queue for several hours at the airport for a seat.
The two carriers charge $304 for a confirmed round-trip ticket.
They have a virtual monopoly on the route as a result of a 32-year air services agreement between the two countries. This restricts competition on the route, leading to SIA and MAS operating eight out of 10 flights, or 154 out of the 184 flights a week. Sri Lankan Airlines, Air India and Japan Airlines provide the remaining 30 flights.
In contrast, 12 airlines fly the Singapore-Bangkok route and 13 fly to Jakarta from Changi Airport. It is the same story of limited seats and high fares from Singapore to Penang, East Malaysia and Langkawi, the only three other destinations in Malaysia with direct links to the Republic.
Businessman Rosli Buang, 45, who has a furniture business and travels in the region frequently, echoed others when he said: 'With so much travel and business between the two countries, more routes should be opened up to more airlines, so that travellers can benefit.'
Tiger Airways' chief executive officer Patrick Gan is all for this, saying: 'The fact that both leaders agree that air links should be greater is a very positive step. 'Malaysia has many attractive destinations for budget travellers and we look forward to the opportunity to fly there. In the end, it is the passenger who wins.'
Valuair's chief executive officer Sim Kay Wee said: 'Should air rights between the two countries become available, cities such as KL, Penang and those in East Malaysia would certainly appeal to us.'
On whether it would welcome competition on the Singapore-Malaysia route, a spokesman for SIA would only say: 'SIA is a competitive airline and is always ready for competition.'
Singapore 9/10/2004
