GEORGE TOWN: Engineer Benjamin Wong had wanted a holiday in Singapore for the coming festive period but was put off by the steep airfares.

       Four round-trip flight tickets from Penang to Singapore on May 1 for three adults and a four-year-old girl would have cost him RM2,200.

       Wong, 39, said he used to pay about RM800 for the same number of tickets on the same low-cost airline before the Covid-19 pandemic.

       “I guess it’s because of the festive period and not booking the flights early.

       “It’s not worth paying that much to get to Singapore,” said Wong.

       He has since moved his holiday plans to July 30, as the same round-trip tickets cost RM880.

       Another man, who declined to be named, spent almost RM30,000 on a one-way ticket to Guangzhou, China. Pre-pandemic, the Kuala Lumpur-Guangzhou airfare was about RM1,200, and sometimes even lower than RM1,000, he said.

       “I was told that a one-way business class ticket for Kuala Lumpur-Xiamen now can even go up to RM60,000. It’s madness,” he said.

       Business executive CY Ho, 26, paid about RM800 for a round-trip flight to Bangkok for a four-day, three night holiday during the festive period.

       “The price is slightly higher, but having been cooped up in the country for far too long, I don’t mind paying more to get a much deserved holiday,” said Ho, who said a similar round-trip flight ticket before the pandemic cost her about RM500.

       Meanwhile, Malaysia Airlines Group chief executive officer Captain Izham Ismail said various factors contributed to the higher prices, including higher demand during peak seasons, limited number of flights, types of service offerings, operational costs, surge in jet fuel prices and limited resources due to the after-effects of Covid-19.

       He said dynamic pricing, a technique adopted globally by airlines, sets airfares based on demand and market conditions.

       “We encourage our customers to plan their travel and to purchase tickets during promotion periods,” he said in a press statement on Monday.

       AirAsia, in a statement, advised that booking well ahead was one of the best ways to get cheaper fares.

       “Airfares have the tendency to increase closer to peak periods as demand surges and when there are only a few seats left.

       “We always encourage our guests to plan ahead and book early, particularly around peak travel periods,” it said.

       Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) Penang chapter chairman Vergis Mathews said that those who don’t travel frequently ought to register with airline portals in order to be alerted to lower promotional rates.

       “This shall encourage planning ahead. Many travellers are, in fact, taking advantage of advance bookings to get lower rates,” he said.