Is MATTA Fair losing its lustre?

It was evidently less crowded at the just concluded MATTA Fair.

Perhaps the only exception was the good representation by Japan and Korea. The former obviously wants to redeem itself after the devastating tsunami and earthquake disaster last March. News of AirAsia’s latest destination – Osaka – ahead of MATTA Fair also did little to excite the market.

Otherwise, the fair was nothing unusual with the usual and predictable bargains.

Chances are that MATTA will blame the stock market sell-off following the downgrade of the US’ credit rating and economic uncertainties for the less encouraging walk-in crowd.

On the flip side of the coin – is MATTA Fair losing its appeal? Is the fair in need of a re-branding exercise like the PC Fair?

Or is MATTA Fair feeling the heat from pre and post-MATTA Fair sales and the growing influence of the local online travel booking sites?

Your guess is as good as mine.

What's next after Osaka?

Osaka is AirAsia X’s newest and second destination in Japan. The good news comes two days after the share swop announcement by AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines.

The long-haul low-cost affiliate of AirAsia will fly four times weekly to Osaka from Nov 30. The promo fare in conjunction with the launch is RM249 one-way economy and the booking period runs on Aug 11-14 and travel between Nov 30 and June 20 next year.

The burning question after the AirAsia/Malaysia Airlines alliance is – when will AirAsia X start flying to Sydney?

The share swop announcement on Aug 9 will involve Khazanah Nasional Bhd, which has a 69.5% stake in MAS, taking up 10% of AirAsia while Tune Air Sdn Bhd, which owns some 23% of the budget airline, holding 20.5% in MAS.

Expedia Malaysia goes live

The Expedia Malaysia website is now up and running, five months after AirAsia and Expedia, the world's largest online travel booking company, formed an alliance to offer flights, accommodation and holiday packages in the Asia-Pacific region.

The new venture includes exclusive online distribution rights for AirAsia flights and packages in the region. Expedia Malaysia is also the only website besides AirAsia.com and AirAsiaGo.com to book AirAsia flights online.

As part of the launch, Expedia.com.my is offering a ‘Red Hot’ AirAsia flight and accommodation promotion which includes a free night stay for every two nights booked at 49 hotels across the region. Travellers need to book online from now to 7 September to take advantage of the launch promotion.

The launch comes ahead of Friday’s MATTA Fair, extending the wide range of tours, hotels and ground packages designed for Malaysians. The toll-free line 1-800-815676 is available seven days a week, 24 hours a day.

Egypt Air resumes flights to KLIA

The Gulf and Middle East airlines are surely flying high these days. The award winning Emirates and Etihad Airways, among others, have ramped up their capacities with the latest aircraft on lucrative routes.

Expansion and fleet modernization together with aggressive branding have escalated the meteoric rise of the Middle East airlines, posing a serious threat to the more established European and Asian airlines.

Even the leading Asian carriers are feeling the pinch with the emerging Middle East airlines offering excellent customer service, gourmet food and the latest and state-of-the-art inflight entertainment and services.

KLIA is now a mini hub for the Middle East airlines with 12 carriers, including Egypt Air which has resumed its operations to Kuala Lumpur. Egypt Air operates daily flights on the Cairo-Bangkok-Kuala Lumpur route.

The other Middle East airlines serving KLIA are Iran Air, Gulf Air, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Qatar Airways, Kuwait Airways, Yemena Airlines, Mahan Air, Oman Air and Royal Jordanian.

Go FIT for greater flexibility

The dynamic demands of the corporate world have changed our leisure travel patterns. AirAsia and the rising number of affordable fares by full-service airlines have also made individual (FIT) and free and easy travel plans more compelling in recent years.

Before the advent of the more flexible and customised FIT packages, many travelers are bound by many restrictions in the all-inclusive and group tours. There are no guaranteed departures on the chosen dates. It is not uncommon for travel agents to give a 11th hour notice cancellation due to the lack of a minimum group departure.

More often than not, confirmed departures are only available during peak seasons, including the school holidays and festive seasons. Be prepared to pay a premium during the Chinese New Year or Hari Raya holidays.

Group packages are unlikely to be attractive to repeat visitors and are deemed less flexible – predictable and specific itineraries with average meals and hotels – numerous compulsory shopping stops (especially China) and obviously more hectic. The list is near endless and needless to say, travelling in bigger groups can be a real hassle during the hotel check-in, meals and possible encounters with unreasonable and demanding travelers in the group.

It will also be more rewarding to plan your own travel and book your air tickets in advance with better air fare bargains from budget as well as full-service airlines.

While the perceived hassle-free group tour packages have remained the core offerings by the local travel agencies, Malaysians are spoilt for choice when it comes to free and easy and ground packages. For major cities in Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong, it pays to opt for either flexible plan, given the cities’ excellent public transportation system and infrastructure.

Above all, you can choose the desired budget with the wide ranging choice of budget, tourist and deluxe class of hotels. You can naturally travel at your own pace and be more adventurous during meal times.

Apart from AirAsiaGo, established travel agencies with regular website updates and comprehensive details of their FIT packages and promotions include 12Fly (Malaysian Harmony), Apple Flexi Holiday, Holiday Tours, Mayflower, Parlo Tours, Pearl Holiday, PYO Travel and Travelbiz.