Fly Away
This year, more people will get to travel thanks to the cheap airfares made available by Malaysia Airlines at its Travel Fair last weekend.
This was the second year MAS organised such a fair. I was at the one last year, part of the huge crowd that queued and waited for the doors to open. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to use my ticket as mother fractured her right wrist and I had to cancel my trip to help care for her.
That’s the thing about cheap airfares offered at such travel fairs. Money-wise, the fares are cheap. But there is a price to pay for such cheap fares. For one thing, you have to travel within a certain period of time. For another, you forfeit quite a bit if you have to cancel. Something like 50% of the airfare, plus an admin charge imposed by the travel agent that did the ticketing for you.
I was fortunate, tho. I knew someone who knew someone who knew a senior MAS official. I got back almost 80% of my airfare. No strings were pulled, it was all legit cuz I had the doctor’s letter to prove that I had to cancel due to medical reasons (not my own, but mother’s).
This year, I wasn’t going to be in the crowd for cheap fares again. But at the last minute, I remembered I really should be looking at travel arrangements to see Hua Mei and her twins later this year. So I went to the travel agent a floor below my office to ask. As it turned out, MAS had extended the fare promotions by two days (not sure if that’s a good sign cuz it could also mean they didn’t meet their sales target over the weekend and had to extend).
I wasn’t interested in just the airfare, but well, not exactly a tour package either. I found what I wanted - a semi-package comprising travel, room and board, and freedom to go around without being part of a tour group. After giving me the necessary info, the rep added that within certain travel periods, there would be a discount of RM90/-. Wow, what a deal, huh?
But wait, there’s a catch. The minute a booking is made, a non-refundable RM500/- deposit is required, followed by full payment when ticket is issued. What’s the catch? No refund at all if cancellation within 14 days before the trip.
The way things are going for me, I cannot book anything and be sure I can go ahead with the trip. For a RM90/- discount, I risk losing RM500/- or even more. Is it worth the risk?
And that’s the other thing about such fare promotions as those offered by MAS at its recently concluded Travel Fair. More people get to travel due to the cheap fares, but at a price dictated by the airline. Is it worth it?
If one can afford to travel, why look for cheap fares and be bound by rules and regulations?
