Price war!

Did you guys read the news lately? Malaysian Airlines (MAS) has finally jumped onto the bandwagon of cheap airfares. It is now promoting RM0 airfares to domestic destinations. Can you imagine? This is MAS we're talking about, a 5-star carrier, offering FREE seats to the public! Well, it's not exactly free literally because we still need to pay for airport tax and fuel surcharge, etc etc... But still, it shows how huge the other low cost carriers have made an impact on MAS.

Fireflyz, which is also a subsidiary of MAS, is not without its own RM0 attraction. Being a low cost carrier and using a different airport, its fuel surcharge and airport tax is slightly lower compared to MAS. However, I have heard news that the planes they use are really old and smelly. :P

And finally, our first ever homegrown low cost carrier AirAsia never fails to satisfy its customers by being the LOWEST fare carrier nationwide. Not only is it providing RM0 airfares, it is also slashing the fuel surcharge by RM5! That is SUB zero airfare everyone! For the first time, AirAsia has outdone itself and impressed its customers by providing the lowest ever fares to everyone.

Now in order to do a comparison, I searched for a domestic flight from Penang to KL, return ticket, on all three carriers.

1. Malaysian Airlines total = RM152 for 2 ways
2. Fireflyz total = RM102 for 2 ways
3. AirAsia total = RM82 for 2 ways

Do you guys see it now? The winner is clearly... AirAsia!!! *applause*applause* I would say, if based on price alone, AirAsia definitely wins hands down. However, if you have other considerations, you might want to think twice about it. For example, if you take this as a connecting flight to an international destination, it will be better to opt for MAS, as it is usually on time. Even better if your subsequent flight is also MAS, so you could check in for both flights at the same time. And of course, who doesn't love numbered seats? Not having to line up LONG before the plane touches down (ala AirAsia), or fight with people to get the better seats is already an attraction in itself.

On the other hand, if you only intend to go to the destination and do not need a connecting flight, you might want to consider Fireflyz. This only applies for the case of Penang-KL, ok. Mainly because Fireflyz airport is in Subang, which is so much nearer compared to far away Sepang. Hence, it will be so much easier for your friends to pick you up from Subang, or for you to take public transport to where you want to go. Otherwise, if you land in Sepang, you either have to take the RM35 ERL to KL central, or the RM9 express bus to KL central. Either way, both methods will set you back at least 45 minutes to 1 hour, including the waiting time.

So, there you have it! My honest and humble opinions on the three main carriers in our country. I am SO loving the fact that we, as the customers, would be the one benefiting the most from the price war. *evil laugh* I'm hoping more cheap flights will come our way soon! Woohoo!