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Fly to Langkawi For A Song
A smile at the airline business is rare these days.
But when you can turn middle-aged factory workers who had never been on an aircraft into frequent flyers, or carry a plantation worker and 18 members of his family from Kuala Lumpur to Langkawi on a promotional fare of just 20 ringgit ($8) each, and still turn a profit, you can afford to smile.
Just ask Tony Fernandes. As chief executive and part-owner of AirAsia, the 39-year-old has led the transformation of his airline from a money-losing "also ran" into a tiny but profitable commercial brand.
Most significantly, he has done so in a part of the world that three years ago had seen virtually none of the much vaunted low fare revolution.
Kuala Lumpur 16/09/2004
