KUALA LUMPUR: The prices of flight tickets to several destinations in Sabah and Sarawak have dropped, ahead of Hari Raya Aidilfitri which will be celebrated on May 3.
Checks on the website of three airlines in the country found that the price of one-way tickets from Kuala Lumpur to five destinations in the two states is declining, for flights between April 30 and May 2.
The price of a Malaysia Airlines economy class ticket to Kuching was RM519 for April 30 and dropped to RM262 for May 2.
AirAsia flights to the same destination and period are priced between RM364 and RM254, while Malindo Air is at RM599.
The price ticket for a Malaysia Airlines flight to Kota Kinabalu was RM1,282 for April 30 and down to RM323 for May 2, while AirAsia the price was between RM494 and RM324 and Malindo Air at RM599.
For the flight to Labuan, the price for a Malaysia Airlines ticket is RM497 for April 30, and RM262 for May 2.
As for AirAsia, over the same period, the tickets are priced between RM344 and RM214.
For flights to Miri and Tawau, it also recorded a drop for the three days.
Flight ticket prices to Miri are between RM661 and RM209 for Malaysia Airlines, and between RM284 and RM184 for AirAsia.
For Tawau-bound, the ticket price is from RM1,398 to RM606 for Malaysia Airlines and RM996 to RM454 for AirAsia.
Yesterday, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong said his ministry, the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom), the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) and three airlines; Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia and Malindo, decided on the price of air tickets during festive seasons.
Wee said the decision was reached during a 72-hour meeting and would be announced soon.
Transport Ministry secretary-general Datuk Isham Ishak was reported to have said ticket prices have dropped by over 30 per cent following Mavcom's willingness to compromise with the rate during festive seasons.
The issue of flight ticket prices to Sabah and Sarawak has become a hot topic following a sharp increase of up to RM2,000 for a return flight to the two states, an increase of about 566 per cent compared with the usual RM300.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had cautioned airline operators not to take advantage of the "balik kampung" rush for the Hari Raya Aidilfitri festive season by raising their airfares.
