AirAsia chief to meet minister over klia2 branding issue

KUALA LUMPUR: AirAsia Group Chief Tan Sri Tony Fernandes (pix) will be meeting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai tomorrow to discuss the klia2 branding issue.
There have been continuous arguments between Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd and AirAsia over the airline's plan to rebrand the klia2 hub as LCCT2.
"We understand that we do not have the right to rename the terminal but we still want to push this as a marketing strategy to tell the world that the terminal is low-cost," Fernandes told reporters after the Malaysia Pitch@Palace event.
Fernandes urged Malaysia Airports to work together with AirAsia in attracting more travellers to use klia2 as a connecting terminal, saying this would translate into more jobs and tourism receipts.
Furthermore, he said, klia2 lacks integration with the main terminal Kuala Lumpur International Airport given the absence of airside transportation, with its only form of connectivity being the ERL service, which charges RM2.
"It is the only airport in the world that charges you to move from terminals. That does not help with integration.
"We brought up this issue after two years (of klia2 starting operations) because before this, we never had any connecting product and this segment is now growing rapidly," he added.
Citing an example, Fernandes said an increasing number of travellers flying with AirAsia use klia2 as a connecting terminal to the rest of Southeast Asia.
The Malaysia Pitch@Palace, organised by AirAsia and Tune Labs, is an event founded by the Duke of York Prince Andrew to support local startups with acceleration and amplification by connecting them to angels, top business executives and mentors.
Of the 14 startups which pitched their business ideas today, two – ChristyNgShoes and Touristly – were selected for the final event at St James's Palace in London later this year. — Bernama