Friday, December 30, 2011

Hi There,
Join me at my new home http://aviationandus.com
Sorry for not informing you all earlier.
Regards

Monday, March 30, 2009

Who has control on PRICES?

Hi again.

The economy is not getting better. I have so far felt the heat when hearing close friend of friends losing their jobs. For us who is still having job, Alhamdulillah.
When we talk about economy both for us and for those who have lost their earning power, we then need to look at PRICES.
Who is really in control of this so called PRICES?
Some will say us, the consumers. Why because we dictates demands. Really?
Some will say them, the seller, whether they are individual or corporations. Because they dictate prices of their products or services.
To yet others they may say it is the government, whether federal or local. They have the control on price tag. Because there is such law that the government can impose control on price of certain product.
Let us look at this scenario:
I was at this one resort located somewhere between Kuala Lumpur and Melaka. I was there for the office family day event.
I drove all the way from the house to the resort. It took me about slightly more than an hour. I have to join the crowd from the office at one side of the resort. The first notice I saw was, parking at RM 4 per hour. Who set this rate? What justify this rate? Do I have a choice?
The resort management has actually took away my right and deprive me of choice to pay or not to pay! Come to think of it every where we go, there is no standard parking charges. Why? No body is powerful enough to imposed such standard! Where is the government and local authority?
I decided to skip joining the masses from my office. As I have not yet have my lunch, I decided to drop by at the club house for a pre-dinner snack. I ordered a cup of Teh Tarik and a plate of Cantonese Kueh Teow. The services was reasonably fast except there is a big gap between what I have ordered and what arrived. As I am allergic to sourness and citric fruits, I ordered the kueh teow without tomato and sprinkle of lime juice. Unfortunately either the chef is so diligently stick to standard that the kueh teow arrived as normal with tomato and sprinkle of lime juice. I have again to skip my snack and sacrifice my money and my right.
What is more surprising the price tag on this wine glass of teh tarik is RM 6. Who set the price? This teh tarik is definitely very special to carry such a price tag. Who is in control?
As a summary I feel nobody is protecting the consumers right. The government fail to control the seller and grant them full right to take away our right as the consumers.
What can we do?

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Low cost airlines, REALLY?

Hi, it has been a while.
I would like to relate to you my experience with one of the low cost carrier in the country.
I was taking this flight from Kuala Lumpur to Langkawi. The flight was scheduled to fly at early morning. Two hours prior to the departure I checlked in for the flight.
At that early morning, the situation in the waiting / departure hall has been filed by long queue. A new phenomenon in this country whereby you see people diligently queing. What a relief for seeing the developed nation culture in the making.
Upon clearance for boarding, the door was opened and to my surprise the queue changed into a race. Back to the undeveloped nation attitude. Again chasing for KERUSI.
Upon take off, I notices why the rush in boarding. People were chasing for forward row of seats. The aircraft was half empty and only seats forward of the aircraft wing were filed up. Come to think of it no reason for rushing, even if it is full.
The cabin crew go around offering meals and goods for sale. Like the conventional airline except it is usually done after free meals service. Kind of taking a train ride in Indonesia, at very stop sellers rushing through to offer everything for sale from food to goods etc. Except this time it is more expensive even if compared to tourist price in the Indonisian train scenario.
Do you think it is fare for this company., very commercial but claiming to be low cost, put these 100 passengers or so in its aircraft cabin, take it off and stabilised at 25,000 feet in the air, and start forcing them to buy things at 4 to 5 times it normal price? The authority controlled disappeared. Or they have given their consents?
Where is the passenger's right? By flying so claimed low cost, they lose their right to have access to food and goods at the reasonable price?

About one hour later, conventional airline usually took 45 minutes, the aircraft descended at a very fast rate comparatively. It was a scary experience when the aircraft is actually diving nose down due to the front heavy aircraft. It went on until actually touched down. No sign of landing flare that I used to observed on conventional airline. I was made to understand such phenomenon is not safe due to aircraft structural limitation. Again by flying so called low cost, the passengers were deprived the right to safe flight?

I keep on calling the so called low cost airline, why? Because from my experience it is not really low cost rather just a lower cost airlines.

What do we do?

Friday, February 27, 2009

KERUSI or CHAIR

"Kerusi" in Malay mean chair or seat in English.
Remember when I wrote the last story of the Olympian that never made it to the Olympic Game.
I just realise there is another unanswered question. It is understandable rushing for seats when everybody beat each other to get in into the train. There are seats to be fighting for. Rushing out from the train? There is no seat to fight for.
I suppose it is already a habit for Malaysian. What was the ritual?
Low cost carrier?
When LC was introduced into the country aviation industry, the first unique but un called for rule was free seating!
Day in and day out when you are flying the LCC you will have to rush for seats.
Today it become the issue nationwide. Especially since the last general election. From Parliamentary seats to state assembly seats. Next? nobody knows what seats.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Malaysian - the Olympian?

I would like to share this short observation that I have last week. For this I would like to defer my followup story on the previous posting to the next posting.

I was taking the Express Rail Link from Bandar Salak Tinggi to KL Central, on my way to Kuala Lumpur.
I arrived at the station about 15 minutes early or rather 15 minutes late, as I was supposedly to take the earlier train. These train operates every 30 minutes.
Being early and it is at 08:00 hours, I would expect big crowd of office workers. So I decided to take my spot at about the normal place one of the train door would open.
I was alone. Then one after another of these office workers appears and took their place next to mine. Interestingly as my spot seem to be the one most accurately located at the door point, people next to me begin to make a move to displace me. For the first time I see a person pretending reading a newspaper begin to crab - side walk towards me and slowly pushing me away from my original point.
Then at 07: 53 the train arrived. The train stopped and doors opened. To my surprise there were so many Olympian from Salak Tinggi. Every body jump forward to make their body touch the finish line first.
Arriving KL Central I have to connect my travel using the Mono Rail Service. The same phenomenon occurs. I met more and more the Malaysian Olympian.

I reflected the same scenario on the road, at the supermarket and even when leaving the mosque.
My question is why it is so difficult for us Malaysian to win even a single Olympics Gold Medal if we have so many Olympian every where in the country. Where is our great formula 1 driver that has been showing off on our road?
My conclusion is that our Olympian do not have sporting spirit!!!!!!

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Welcome

This is my first day log on the subject. Welcome to my blog.
I just want to relate today's log to my vacation early this year.
My investment on time sharing holiday in 1995 has allowed me to booked a room for my family at one of the resort in Langkawi Island, a holiday island destination in Malaysia. It offers holiday facilities and activities coupled with duty free shopping opportunity.
As I did not manage to pre-plan my transportation there, I have to take whatever was available. I ended up taking a train ride from Kuala Lumpur to Butterworth. A twelve hours journey that cost me RM 68 per person in the first class cabin.
Departing Kuala Lumpur central station at 12:30 am. The original departure time was supposed be at 10:30pm. There was a creeping delay that kept us waiting.
The train did manage to catch up with the time when we arrived at Butterworth at 08:30 am. Avoiding illegal taxi, managed to get into a bus leaving for Arau in Perlis. This trip cost me RM 13.50.
Arriving after two haour ride, we took taxi to the Kuala Perlis ferry terminal at a cost of RM 13 per taxi. It took us about 20 minutes taxi ride.

We have to wait for 3o minutes before able to take the ferry ride across to the Island. The ferry ride took 45 minutes and cost me RM 18 per person.

All in all it cost me RM 112.50 to reach the ferry terminal at Langkawi.

Prior to my trip, my evaluation of various airlines fares were as follows;
Kuala Lumpur to Langkawi by Malaysia Airlines : one way trip at RM 379.
Air Asia is offering a fare of RM 127.50 one way.
Subang to Langkawi by Firefly at RM 250 per person.

It is still cheaper to travel by road and rail as compared to even the Malaysian only low cost carrier.
Is the fare charged by the airlines in Malaysia justifiable? Is there a monopoly in the Malaysian air transportation market?
I leave it to you to comment and share your thought or experience.

I will share with you my experience in my last trip on Air Asia from Langkawi to Kuala Lumpur.
Have a good day.