Air Asia Tony's Shallow Cybertroopers

Several supporting comments for Air Asia on Singapore Business Times article on the preliminary rejection of Air Asia's proposal for a new LCCT Airport at Labu proves my earlier point that Air Asia operates like a pirate DVD seller.

The very low ticket prices attracted no complains for it's poor service. They managed to turn their high tolerance customer into supporters and perhaps cybertrooper commentators.

Those ignorant comentators are echoing Air Asia's arguments like claiming Air Asia provide more than half of MAB's revenue. Sure, are those profitable revenue for MAB and Government? Is it payable income or potential default?

There's one comment claiming MAB is not competitive. Do they know what they are talking about? Read here.

Unquestionably, they are Tony's own cybertrooper posting comments. Shallow and chorussing Tony Fernandez.

Among the negative comments is with regard to MAB building temporary LCCT. That question should be asked to the Government. It is Government that build Airports, not MAB who are merely Airport management company.

Do pose to Tony the same question.

Ask for his three or five year business plan? Be ready for excuses and finger pointings because he doesn't have one beyond one year. Ask about his ever changing business model. The much revered and "world-class"-claimed Malaysian company is a high capex company with no proper planning.

How do one expect it's "service suppliers" to plan for them?

As far as those comments associating MAB with UMNO, labelling them as lazy louts, and accusations of monopoly, corruption, cronyism, and business inefficency, this blogger have several decades of life experiance to sense racism.

It is a generalise stereotyping comment with no supporting fact. It is a typical racist-intended comments against Malays that have been subtly transformed in other forms. Read here again.

To those commentator claim the poor service and big crowd is because Air Asia have not been paying their MAB bills. The reason is to come and it will expose that the problems are all Air Asia's but yet blamed on others. Tony would make a fine politician with his Anwar Ibrahim-like fanatic followers.

In the meanwhile, read the following Singapore Business Times article:

KL’s airport U-turn is for the best

By S. Jayasankaran

FEB 2 — Kuala Lumpur has decided to reject the RM1.6 billion low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) project in Labu in Negri Sembilan proposed by Sime Darby and Air Asia.

This, after the Cabinet agreed two weeks ago to give the nod to the duo to go ahead with the plan. But it appears that opposition from former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, mainly, and some socio-political blogs, stayed the government's hand.

Be that as it may, the government gave at least one reason for its about-turn that is probably valid. It said it was concerned that Air Asia might not be able to raise the necessary funding for the project. Given the grim economic climate before us, that could very well be true.

In addition, Air Asia officials had said that any loan for the project would not be on its balance sheets but on the books of the private company that would be set up to handle the project. One doubts that any bank would rush into funding a project not backed by the financial heft of Sime Darby or Air Asia. [Note: Sure private company, then flip into own PLC that drain out cash from PLC vehicle and for more shares and capital appreciation. Old cheap trick dude!]

Datuk Tony Fernandes, the maverick founder of Asia's most successful budget carrier, may actually have got what he wanted. By upping the ante and audaciously proposing Labu, and lobbying for it through numerous press interviews, he got Malaysia Airport Holdings (MAHB) to the bargaining table.

The reason: the government said that MAHB will now build the new LCCT within the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, or KLIA which MAHB manages, but in “close consultation” with Air Asia. “The company's input in the building of the new terminal will have to be taken into consideration,” said the New Straits Times, citing a source familiar with the proceedings. [Note: A grave mistake!]

Most people concede that a new LCCT is required. Fernandes has grown his airline at breakneck proportions. From 200,000 passengers in 2003 when he started out, Air Asia ferried close to 12 million passengers last year and expects to top 15 million passengers by the end of this year. By 2013, he estimates that the LCCT will play host to 25 million passengers.

That MAHB hasn't been the most efficient airport manager around also cannot be denied. The current LCCT is horrendously crowded, its toilets are appalling, and its baggage handling notorious. [Note: Do not be fooled. This a typical Singapore habit, non Malay stereotyping of Malays, and Tony Fernandes emulated to rubbish anything Malaysian.]

In addition, one cannot help but wonder why MAHB would be quarrelling with a client that provides it with more than half its revenue. One would think it would be thinking of new ways to serve it better! [Note: Air Asia favourite reason but does anyone know they are being subsidized and the more customer translate to loss for the Government!?]
But Labu cannot have been the answer. The greatest misgiving over the location was that it would have created two airports — with separate runways and control towers — within eight kilometres of each other.

Fernandes insists it is perfectly safe but he is a businessman and not an aviation expert. Dr Mahathir also has a point when he says there must be a reason why there are no two airports in the world that are that close together. Eight kilometres for a jet coming down to land at over 300 kilometres an hour is but a heartbeat.

Perhaps the government's decision last Friday is for the best. MAHB, with its government backing, can surely raise the funding. But it must build a no-frills airport within budget without extraneous wastage with service fees that are appropriate for its biggest client for whom cost is everything.

And the open bickering should cease. The public is tired of it.