IN 2013, Malaysia Airlines (MAS) embarked on a new advertising campaign around the belief that ‘journeys are made by the people you travel with’.
A significant achievement was made when the airline’s Seat Load Factor touched a high of 85 per cent for three months of July, August and September, one of the highest in any quarter in the history of Malaysia Airlines.
For October, Seat Loads remained at a high of 80 per cent, and marked a seven per cent increase from the same time last year.
Azahar Hamid, regional senior vice president, Middle East and South Asia, says: “The much-improved performance in Seat Loads is a reflection of the market reaction to our award-winning product and services and overall value proposition to our guests.”
Malaysia Airlines has also been able to generate an incremental excess of $100 million in passenger revenue for the three months (ending September 2013), showing increased productivity and efficiency.
Between January and October 2013, Malaysia Airlines carried 14 million passengers, up 30 per cent from the previous year and equivalent to an additional average 10,000 more passengers each day.
Going forward into 2014, Malaysia Airlines’ route expansion will continue to be mainly in the Asian market. Hamid says: “We are in the process of evaluating several routes as part of a long-haul route rationalisation review. We are looking forward to a promising 2014 with the arrival of new aircrafts as part of our fleet renewal, making MAS one of the youngest fleet airlines in Asia.”
This year will also see new aircrafts being added to the airline’s fleet. The Dubai – Kuala Lumpur sector route will, in particular, see improvements with the new A330-300 series aircraft, offering more comfort to passengers.
Onboard, guests can look forward to experiencing ‘Malaysian Hospitality’ at its best, presented by the airline’s cabin crew, rated by Skytrax as providing the World’s Best Cabin Service. Also improvements to inflight meals will be made, with collaborations with celebrity chefs from Malaysia, the UK and France.
Guests flying Business Class out of Kuala Lumpur International Airport will also enjoy a newly refurbished Golden Lounge, complete with a sports bar, a dedicated children’s play area, hot meals kitchen, a well-equipped business centre and wellness suites.