Give Malaysia Airports a chance....

I wish to refer to your very lopsided report on Malaysia Airports' building of the KLIA2 in AirAsia X slams Malaysia Airports and I quote from your report...“If the Government allowed AirAsia/Sime Darby to build new low-cost carrier terminal at Labu, it would have been ready by now, no public funds used, and lower charges," and " The critical failure of this knee-jerk policy decision to reinstate airport fee monopolistic increase, is that there is no consultation or analysis."

In my opinion, the comments are very unfair to MAHB, and some balanced counter views are required. First of all, since AirAsia and Sime Darby did not get to build the airport to be owned by Air Asia, we will not know if that airport at Labu was going to be built on time, and within the budget. As to the claim that an AA owned airport would in turn mean lower charges, the spokesman conveniently forgot to mention that the lower charges will benefit Air Asia only, and given the carrier's inherent arrogance to slap additional charges on the passengers unilaterally and without warning, would the passengers gain anything by it. On the claim that MAHB unilaterally introduce higher airport charges, did AA ask itself, if the public was consulted when it introduced,

• fee for booking seats
• additional fee for booking 'good' seats
• fee for check in baggage
• fee for telephoning AA's hotline to complain about bad services
• and now the latest, fee for NOT checking online and using the check in counter
• fee for changing flights
• administration fee
• etc etc {view all such fees at AirAsia.com.my}

Based the known heartless policy of AirAsia when it comes to Corporate Social Responsibility, I would even like to speculate that if Air Asia had been allowed to build its own airport at Labu with Sime Darby, in order to recover from lower airport handling charges for the carrier, the public may be asked to pay for the following at the Labu airport :

• Non flight public have to pay an entrance fee to enter the the airport lobby
• Passengers have to pay for toilet use, and toilet paper will be charged on a per-piece basis
• Drinking water at the water fountains will be at RM1 per squirt
• Wheelchairs will be leased out at RM20 per time, and extra payment is required if you need someone to push the disabled or sick passenger
• Bus services from the gates to the plane will be charged at RM2 per passenger
• If umbrellas are needed in the rainy season, a levy will be imposed
• Taxis will be charged a RM5 waiting fee
• Chairs can be hired at the lobby, if passengers get tired waiting for the flights
• If the airport is too warm, hand fans maybe be hired by passeners
• Smoking rooms are at RM10 per entry
• other fees that AA deem fit to impose from time to time....{and it will}

I think it's befitting of the Government to impose a minimum standard of safety and dignity for the public who fly, be it with the premier airline, or the budget carrier. We should not be forced by companies, in their blind quest for profits, reduce humans to just "fodder" for their goals.