MAS Travel Fair 2006: Public And Corporate Response
Its the second day of MAS’s Travel Fair 2006. The day prior to the fair and the first day was filled with activity as trifty travellers scrambled to find out what offers were available. Proof of this was seen in the overwhelming traffic that made it nearly impossible to get into MAS’s website. However the signs are now showing that public interest is slowly tapering off into a trickle.
Comments and reactions from those who have dutiffully followed the fair since its debut in 2004 indicates that the offers available in this year’s event is not as good as in previous years. There’s a big difference between good and GREAT deals and the public knows it. Following recent inflations, consumers have become more frugal in their expenditures, preferring to spend their time hunting for the best bargains instead of splurging on the first good deal that comes along.
The reaction from competing airlines, such as Air Asia which came out with its With Air Asia, Everyday Is Low Fair campaign, might be seen as one of the contributing factors for the lowered public interest. These corporate reactions are threatening to make the fair less than a runaway success.
A quick check of MAS’s website and the travel calendar shows that the ‘great’ promotionals are being snapped up but that still leaves a large majority of the 5,000,000 flight tickets. The ease with which I got into the site is another indication that it is not seeing the high traffic volumes of Thursday and Friday, during which time my browser requests were consistently met with refusals.
Some acquaintances in the travel industry have indicated that business related to the Travel Fair has not been good. Since it is the weekend, I would have expected their call centres to see an all time high in booking activity. If what they say is true, then it does not bode well for the organisers.
But who is to say whether this slow down in activity is cause for worry. The fair is only two days old and there is a long way to go. Alot of things can happen in the coming days. We’ll just have to wait till the final whistle to find out whether they did good or not.
Related posts:
MAS Site Overwhelmed
MAS Travel Fair 2006: Last Day
MAS Travel Fair 2006 Extended!
MATTA MITM Fair March 2006
MATF 2007: Time Extension
Lin Peh Said,
February 19, 2006 @ 9:22 am
Lin Peh plan go Hapchai. wanna cum along ? ;-)
gbyeow Said,
February 19, 2006 @ 1:17 pm
No mani how to cum? Haha. Bila pigi? I new job all scared scared boss afterwards say I lepak too much and fry my sotong.
manja Said,
February 20, 2006 @ 9:03 am
MAS has given so many excuses and blames their losses on every other thing except looking at themself in the mirror and admitting that they have a bad management and bad financial control. Covering its losses at the expense of consumers by increasing their fares is not fair to consumers or selling their building is not going to end their financial problems. Actual is…I believe that there is no strict and proper control on internal spending and that there is no proper budget planning in the beginning. MAS spends lavishly, internal and external. It doesn’t need a CEO to see it. They should begin with cutting down their internal costs. Go down the very end line and work their way up. Carry out cost down on unnecessary overtimes, manpower, transport, staff overseas expenses, catering, stationeries and especially management expenses such as entertainment and travelling. Review suppliers and sub-contractors, change if necessary. Re-evaluate or reshuffle non performing staff and reorganise the function of HR. The new MD Idris Jala should not stop at reading reports (they don’t always give the truth) but do a proper inquiry at each and every section. Invite external auditor to audit the accounts. Though these might not be able to cover the losses but there is huge savings there. Overcoming the losses in millions does not come overnight. It might take a few years. Its a matter of putting MAS back on the right track. There are many many areas in MAS that needs to be corrected. Areas which have gone unnoticed..unintentionally or intentionally. There would be a drastic change in the working culture of MAS but it needs to be done to save MAS.
I travel at least twice in a year with my family. But with the recent added fuel surcharge, doubled in airport taxes and the increase in fares, I may not afford to travel on MAS anymore.