MAS Travel Fair 2006
This year, the fair starts on 17th February 2006 and will span a total of ten days, ending on 26th February 2006. However, what most people don’t know is that this time around, there isn’t going to be a venue. Instead, Malaysia Airlines will be taking a leaf out of Air Asia’s book. The fair is going to be a virtual one, held over the internet, and hosted on Malaysia Airlines’ website.
That means that there won’t be any traffic jams or queues. Or at least not of the physical form. Instead, it will be a massive virtual jam as users try to log on to the Malaysian Airlines’ site to check out the offers and make their reservations. I hope MAS has made preparations for the influx in web traffic. Their site is bound to be flooded during that period (much like Air Asia’s was during their 2,000,000 free ticket promotion).
A total of five million (5,000,000) seats are going to be on offer over the ten day period of the event. Among other things, there’ll be discounts of up to 70% on flight tickets and golden holidays packages.
Details are still sketchy as they have yet to release the destinations and offers. According to MAS Travel Fair 2006’s official webpage, details will be made available on 16th February 2006. That is exactly 7 days as of this posting, according to the countdown clock on the Travel Fair webpage.
MAS Call Centres around South East Asia will be on hand to take in calls and reservations during this period. The numbers are available on their website. If you’re interested, point your browser over to the site, bookmark it, and jot down a reminder in your calendars to come back on 16th February.
Side Story
Late last year, a friend of mine who works at MAS and handled the MAS Travel Fair for previous years told me that this year’s travel fair might be canceled. The reason he gave was that the idiot in charge of MAS at that time had hired a lame consultant who told him that doing away with the fair was a good way of cutting costs. My friend was kind of cheesed off at this because the travel fair was a self sustaining event that made profits for the airlines, unlike some of its infamous escapades (hiring the consultant for instance).
It is good that powers that be decided to bring back the travel fair this year. Advertisements and promotional material are making their appearance over the media. However, it seems a lot more subdued compared to past years. Hopefully, the new director can turn things around for the local airlines. He definitely has his work cut out for him.
Related posts:
MAS Travel Fair 2006 Extended!
MAS Travel Fair 2006: Last Day
MAS Travel Fair 2006: Public And Corporate Response
Malaysia Airlines Travel Fair 2007
MATTA MITM Fair March 2006
SK Said,
February 9, 2006 @ 12:50 am
5 millions of tickets, I’m going to see how “competitive” the price is going to be, in which I also hope MAS will do well at this fare.
Sheena Said,
February 9, 2006 @ 1:32 am
THANKS for the heads-up on the travel fair.
And you’re right, it was dumb for the consultant to recommend cancelling last year’s travel fair. A number-cruncher, he ain’t. At least the director at that time wasn’t dumb enough to actually take his advice.
Concidentally, just read a piece in the newspaper recently commending Idris Jala for the subtle, but solid groundwork (and repairwork) he has been laying within MAS. He does have his work cut out for him, but he also seems like the man to get that work done.
gbyeow Said,
February 9, 2006 @ 9:09 am
SK: How competitive indeed. Can’t be as good as Air Asia’s free tickets though. However, we can’t really compare the two since Air Asia only offered tickets within the Asian region whereas MAS’s tickets are for destinations around the world. Definitely worth checking it out if you’re planning a holiday (I think the offers are better than MATTA fair).
Sheena: You’re most welcome. And I would definitely like to see MAS succeed too.
GraZer Said,
February 9, 2006 @ 1:11 pm
I highly doubt the new chairman can turn things around. It’s always the same story every 3 years for the past 6 years (coz the chairman’s tenure is 3 years i think). When he first steps in, perhaps they can break even (on paper) but then the losses will come in again. He cannot solve, so they bring another guy in. And the cycle carries on. Imagine cutting cost on things like in-flight newspapers, deserts, Milo drinks. They’re not getting to the root of the problem! Reduce staff inefficiencies even if it means cutting off senior staff and consultants! Why get 6 ppl to do a 1 person job? Why hire consultants with expensive fees only for them to tell you “Don’t give Milo and newspapers to your passengers.” ? It’s just like paying 1 million to a consultant to do a study on the Rothmans roundabout for them to tell the council to put traffic lights at the roundabout!
Clearly something is very wrong in there and that something wrong has been going on for lightyears.
Their pride is just too strong (or stupid). They are willing to upkeep their pride even if it means loosing hundreds of millions every year.
SK Said,
February 9, 2006 @ 3:16 pm
I’m trying to support MAS most of the time. When I’m on business trip, I’ll look into MAS availability before I turn to SQ.
I take this as a way to help revive MAS too, you can say I’m trying to do Idris Jala a favor, not to fight him internally and favouring the neighboorhood Harry Lee airlines. ;-)
gbyeow Said,
February 11, 2006 @ 1:02 am
Only 5 days more till the release of the list of offers.
Grazer: I heard they have a very strong staff union. You’re right about them being overstaffed and inefficient.
SK: Well, its not really about us supporting them financially by being passengers but them bucking up and changing some of their damned policies.
Not that I’m claiming to know what to do in their shoes but I think that they just need to apply a little more common sense.
SK Said,
February 11, 2006 @ 2:54 pm
We all “know” that they “know” what to do.
The question is, who is going to do it? So far, Idris Jala seems like instiling some sense into it, or if “being seen as” is a proper context for you to absorb.
As for my side, merely sitting in as a passenger is the best effort that I can provide, albeit tad bit of help is very much trivial.
Don’t get me wrong, I can’t afford to support them financially yet. ;-)
gbyeow Said,
February 13, 2006 @ 11:13 am
Haha. I would love to be in a position that I can financially support them. Then I wouldn’t have to work so hard :p
Boredworkers.com » Insider: MAS Travel Fair 2006 Ticket Prices Said,
February 15, 2006 @ 5:01 pm
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