MALAYSIA AIR ASIA OFFERING FREE AIR TICKETS

LAST Saturday, Malaysia Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced the implementation of the 1Malaysia Integration Programme in association with Air Asia. 

The program offers 10,000 free return tickets to Sabah and Sarawak that will be open for booking on Wednesday. The tickets cover travel period from 14 January to 4 February.

Datuk Masidi Manjun, Sabah State  Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment praised Air Asia for the Malaysia Integration Programme, saying that it would give opportunity for Sabahans to travel by air.

“This provides the opportunity for Sabahans to travel to other states in Malaysia without being burdened by high traveling costs,” Masidi said when asked by reporters at Ming Garden yesterday.

“I know that the cost to operate a flight is high but I feel it is a good investment in corporate social responsibility that has a good aim, which is integration," he said.

“I thank Air-Asia and hope that this offer will be continued in the future and that other airlines would do likewise,” he said.

However, Masidi sees that the objective of the program will only be realized if the seats were made available to those who have never traveled by air before.

“My personal opinion is that we should give two groups the priority to participate in this scheme, those who have never traveled in an airplane before, especially those in the rural areas and young students,” he said.

The free seats are available for booking at www.airasia.com to all Malaysians who have a valid Malaysian Identification Card, on Wednesday, 9 January 2013, beginning at 12.01 am.

However, airport taxes will be applicable, even though fares and fuel surcharge are waived. Baggage allocation, in-flight meals, seat selection and other value-added services are also not included along with the free seats.

The free seats are only valid for flights departing from Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Labuan, Sandakan, Miri, Tawau Sibu, Bintulu, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Johor Bahru. Domestic flights within the Peninsular or within East Malaysia are not applicable. 

Source: Insight Sabah