Wee scoffs at PAC chairman’s claim of RM3,300 CNY air fare

 

A one-way fare from Ipoh to Singapore was RM195 while the return flight cost RM1,185.

KUALA LUMPUR: Transport minister Wee Ka Siong has rejected allegations of high return air fares of up to RM3,283 between Ipoh and Singapore for next year’s Chinese New Year celebrations.

He said a check had shown that AirAsia tickets for flights from Ipoh to Singapore are available at RM196 for Jan 19-21. (Chinese New Year falls on Jan 22.) Tickets for flights from Singapore to Ipoh on the same dates cost RM1,185.

“Based on the above data, the return airfare is not RM3,283 as claimed by Wong Kah Woh,” he said in a statement.

He said the air fare checks were conducted by the Malaysian Aviation Commission, which regulates airlines and protects passenger interests.

Wong, who is chairman of Parliament’s watchdog, the public accounts committee, had made the allegation yesterday.

Wee said airfares the week before and after the Chinese New Year were also much cheaper, with AirAsia flight tickets from Ipoh to Singapore from Jan 16-18 costing RM184 while those on Jan 23-24 are priced at between RM408 and RM691.

He said the same applied for AirAsia flight tickets from Singapore to Ipoh from Jan 16-18 which cost between RM434 and RM821, while the fare for Jan 23-24 was between RM408 and RM517.

“Actually, you can check all airfares during Chinese New Year with just a few clicks,” he said. - FMT