Kami bersetuju dengan pandangan sesetengah pengguna Air Asia bahawa Air Asia wajar mengeluarkan sebahagian daripada caj yang bertambah akhir-akhir ini apabila membeli tiket daripada Air Asia, termasuk servis pilihan semasa check-in.

  Dan pada waktu sama juga, kita juga menyokong perjuangan Air Asia ke atas hasrat pihak Malaysia Airport (MAHB) yang ingin menaikkan cukai airport 28%, yang mana boleh menyebabkan kos dan seterusnya tambang Air Asia turut meningkat.

  Sebagai pengguna, kita semua berhasrat kedua-dua pihak mengkaji servis dan caj masing-masing supaya mengambilkira kepentingan dan kewangan pengguna. Tentu ada orang yang boleh membayar dan sedia membayar segala kemudahan.

  Namun ada juga pihak yang tidak mampu membayar walaupun sebahagian daripada kemudahan. Justeru, keprihatinan semua pihak adalah perlu bagi mempastikan semua orang boleh naik kapal terbang atau seperti moto Air Asia "everybody can fly".

  Inilah laporan dalam the Malaysian Insider.  (Bahasa Inggeris) KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 3 — Tycoon Tan Sri Tony Fernandes took on his budget airline’s detractors via social media after its campaign against a 28 per cent airport tax hike attracted critics to question over alleged power over the industry and the policy of charging for optional services.

The low-cost carrier launched a campaign on Wednesday urging customers to protest against the airport tax increase saying that they felt the quality of the terminals didn’t warrant a hike but some Twitter users took the opportunity to voice complaints over AirAsia’s business model which includes charging for optional services such as manual check-in.

“Like what. All charges are optional. We trying to make flying cheaper. Pls get your facts,” said Fernandes in response to a comment made that AirAsia should withdraw “hidden charges”.

“We trying to make it cheaper. Web check in or self service kiosks.Means we need less people. Lower fares,” said Fernandes in response to one user who complained about the fee imposed by the airline for the manual counter check in.

He was also unfazed when one person suggested that there would be a boycott campaign against AirAsia in response to the campaign against Malaysia Airports.

“It’s a free world. If you don’t want to fly and done like us you don’t. We have to use malaysian airports. That’s the difference,” the airline chief tweeted.

When one person pointed out that AirAsia doesn’t use the budget terminal in Singapore, Fernandes said that it was because Changi’s budget terminal didn’t have enough capacity to accomodate AirAsia.

One tweet charged that as a stakeholder of both Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia following the recent shareswap, Fernandes should be “very powerful” and be able to resolve the dispute over the taxes with Malaysia Airports easily.

“I suppose you answering your question. I am not powerful. Its myth. But ill fight for what’s right,” came the reply.

 When asked whether he still harboured hopes of building his own low cost carrier terminal given his concern over KLIA2, Fernandes (picture) said that he no longer did.

“No that’s one dream that won’t happen. We just want it at a real cost,” he said.

Fernandes, who is in Japan to meet investors, said that the campaign against the airport tax increase was to push for efficiency.

He also expressed his concern that the new terminal being built for low cost carriers, KLIA2, has a price tag of RM3.9 billion which is apparently more than ten times the cost of the present low cost= carrier terminal which he says cost only RM300 million.

He had earlier in the week expressed his fears that the cost of KLIA2 could potentially translate into higher airport taxes in the future although Malaysia Airports had reportedly assured that it will not happen.

“These are the reasons we are upset. We want everyone to fly. We need efficiency. I end this and hope that malaysians are now enlightened,” he said.

MAHB, on the other hand, has argued that its airport charges are already the lowest in the region and that it is also regulated by the government with the next review due in 2014.

Under the new tariff structure, airport taxes at Penang, Kuching and Langkawi will rise from RM51 to RM65, while the low cost carrier terminals (LCCTs) at KLIA and Kota Kinabalu will go from RM25 to RM32.

  Wa Llahu 'alam.

 -  Admin drhatta.com.