Excitement over new low-cost flights to Kuching and KK

As soon as word got out that Firefly was spreading its wings to Sarawak and Sabah on Monday, online traffic at Firefly’s ticketing website escalated rapidly. The buzz was all over Facebook that the airliner, a wholly-owned unit under Malaysia Airlines, was offering tickets priced as low as RM9 for travel between Jan 15 to May 31 next year. Aside from this too-good-to-resist promotion, Sarawakians were happy over the fact that they had more travel choices.

When met at Kuching International Airport yesterday, avid traveller Awang Putra Awang Ahmad said that Firefly’s expansion was a good move and highly anticipated. He said the people now had the choice of another low-cost carrier . “More airlines means competition in ticket prices, so customers are bound to benefit,” he told StarMetro. Putra, who works in the service industry, said he was excited over the air fare Firefly had to offer to compete with rival AirAsia.
“I’m planning a holiday with my family in Kuala Lumpur next year so I’m going to check out Firefly’s fares. I hope it will come up with packages for the family soon,” he said.

Lim Fung, who was travelling to Kuala Lumpur, said the promotion by Firefly was attractive, but hoped the airline would provide good service other than just cheap fares. “Sometimes, all that a customer wants is an easy flight, and this means no long delays. I hope Firefly will give us consistency in timing as well,” said Lim, who works as a driver. He said that competition was always healthy and better accessibility would attract more tourists to Sarawak.

The excitement over Firefly’s debut in Sarawak was shared by those from the peninsula working in the state. Captain Azhar Mohd Nor, from the Royal Malaysian Air Force, said that more flights and cheaper tickets meant he could go home to Kuala Lumpur more than once a year. “I normally go back to Kuala Lumpur once a year under air force expense. If Firefly offers competitive fares, it will be easier for me to travel more often to see my children studying there,” he said.

For consumers, competition in the industry would mean better deals and service, so it was good news, he said. There would also be more seats available, especially during festive seasons, he added. “It will be easier for my family members to travel to Kuching,” said Azhar, who has been in Sarawak for the past four years. Firefly will start operations to Kuching and Kota Kinabalu on Jan 15 next year.
-thestar online.