Hello Tourism Minister!
Not My Area Of Responsibility La...
Malaysia's recently opened low-cost airline terminal is to be expanded and upgraded next year in response to complaints about overcrowding and a lack of facilities. "We will be providing better amenities and more chairs for the comfort of those using the LCCT (low-cost carrier terminal)," Malaysia Airports CEO Bashir Ahmad told The Star newspaper. Bashir said that Malaysia Airports has been holding talks on the project with AirAsia which is so far the only airline to use the terminal. The Star likened the scene at the terminal to a "disaster relief centre", with weary travellers sitting on trolleys, lying asleep on the floor or slumped over tables at fast-food outlets. The low-cost facility which is designed to handle 10 million passengers a year opened in March, just before neighbouring Singapore launched its own no-frills terminal in a race to secure the burgeoning budget sector. From the start, the Malaysian terminal, a warehouse-style building located 20 kilometres (13 miles) from Kuala Lumpur International Airport, has been criticised for expensive food and a lack of seating. There was also dismay that the high-speed train which connects far-flung KLIA with the city does not run to the new terminal and construction on an extension line is yet to start. However travellers continue to flock there and aviation industry analysts say the facilities are a boost for budget airlines which face a constant battle to reduce costs.
My Lima Sen - Oh, yea... 2007 is a very very big VISIT MALAYSIA YEAR! I can understand if the LCC Terminal was rushed to completion in order to be launched before the Singapore's LCC Terminal, so there were bound to be hitches. Now, how long does it take for hitches to be unraveled? Hmmmm ....
Let's look at other pathetic hitches which marrs our Tourism water-face. Why am I still being pestered when I arrive back at KLIA by illegal/private taxi operators - how long do we have this problem, how long have we been highlighting this issue - it makes us look Third World (the senior government officials wondering "what does Third World look like", look in the mirror). Third World mentality - problems and issues do not get rectified or solved professionally, always gaps and holes appearing even in solutions carried out, things do not get done on time or at all, need lotsa kicking from the top before things get done at the bottom, poor productivity at all levels, sub standard facilities and infrastructure, no proper masterplan or strategy, and very very poor execution skills, incompetent people at important positions...
The other airport involves the handling of the limos and taxis ferrying passengers from KLIA. You got the concession, do it well la... if passengers have to queue for more than 30 minutes with no sight of taxis, something is very wrong somewhere. So who is in charge? The Malaysia Airports guy would say that they have given out the concession, so not their jurisdiction ... meanwhile the Datuk with the concession is nowhere to be found as no one is really running the concession day in day out ... whispers had it that certain operators wanted passengers to use their overpriced vans instead, so the limos and taxis have been asked not to show up ... if that is true ... sigh, worse than Vietnam or Cambodia man...
The other aspect which pisses off many tourists is the devious taxi drivers with special meters, or those who don't use meters and quote RM50 for a 10 minute trip. If we can have police speed traps and Mat rempit traps, why can't they also check all the taxis at the same time for tampered meters and ask passengers if the driver had just quoted a price instead of using the meter. Having said that, taxi drivers are way underpaid, so cannot exactly blame them for trying to make more money. Increase flag fall to RM3.00 and per km rate by 30%, then implement strict adherence to rules and meter usage.
These are just 3 things which will piss off any goodwill generated by our tourism campaigns. Tourism should be a top 3 industry for Malaysia, so we should handle it well. First, appoint a more hard nose Minister. We have top beaches, top beach resorts, world ranked spas and hills resorts, excellent eco-tourism in east malaysia, now serviced by cheap LCCs, with AirAsia we can be a must stop centerpoint for tourists wanting to go regional (use KL as a base and then go to East Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia cheaply), Malaysia has a huge natural advantage being the preferred place of travel for Middle East tourists and must leverage on that.
This is important, please somebody high ranking, do something ....... The above things need immediate rectification, the LCC Terminal situation is quite dire, how long do you think it will take to address the problems?? Or, do we just brush it of as doing it ala Malaysian style la .. eventually will get done la, why the hurry , ...don't like it, don't come la...
Not My Area Of Responsibility La...
Malaysia's recently opened low-cost airline terminal is to be expanded and upgraded next year in response to complaints about overcrowding and a lack of facilities. "We will be providing better amenities and more chairs for the comfort of those using the LCCT (low-cost carrier terminal)," Malaysia Airports CEO Bashir Ahmad told The Star newspaper. Bashir said that Malaysia Airports has been holding talks on the project with AirAsia which is so far the only airline to use the terminal. The Star likened the scene at the terminal to a "disaster relief centre", with weary travellers sitting on trolleys, lying asleep on the floor or slumped over tables at fast-food outlets. The low-cost facility which is designed to handle 10 million passengers a year opened in March, just before neighbouring Singapore launched its own no-frills terminal in a race to secure the burgeoning budget sector. From the start, the Malaysian terminal, a warehouse-style building located 20 kilometres (13 miles) from Kuala Lumpur International Airport, has been criticised for expensive food and a lack of seating. There was also dismay that the high-speed train which connects far-flung KLIA with the city does not run to the new terminal and construction on an extension line is yet to start. However travellers continue to flock there and aviation industry analysts say the facilities are a boost for budget airlines which face a constant battle to reduce costs.
My Lima Sen - Oh, yea... 2007 is a very very big VISIT MALAYSIA YEAR! I can understand if the LCC Terminal was rushed to completion in order to be launched before the Singapore's LCC Terminal, so there were bound to be hitches. Now, how long does it take for hitches to be unraveled? Hmmmm ....
Let's look at other pathetic hitches which marrs our Tourism water-face. Why am I still being pestered when I arrive back at KLIA by illegal/private taxi operators - how long do we have this problem, how long have we been highlighting this issue - it makes us look Third World (the senior government officials wondering "what does Third World look like", look in the mirror). Third World mentality - problems and issues do not get rectified or solved professionally, always gaps and holes appearing even in solutions carried out, things do not get done on time or at all, need lotsa kicking from the top before things get done at the bottom, poor productivity at all levels, sub standard facilities and infrastructure, no proper masterplan or strategy, and very very poor execution skills, incompetent people at important positions...
The other airport involves the handling of the limos and taxis ferrying passengers from KLIA. You got the concession, do it well la... if passengers have to queue for more than 30 minutes with no sight of taxis, something is very wrong somewhere. So who is in charge? The Malaysia Airports guy would say that they have given out the concession, so not their jurisdiction ... meanwhile the Datuk with the concession is nowhere to be found as no one is really running the concession day in day out ... whispers had it that certain operators wanted passengers to use their overpriced vans instead, so the limos and taxis have been asked not to show up ... if that is true ... sigh, worse than Vietnam or Cambodia man...
The other aspect which pisses off many tourists is the devious taxi drivers with special meters, or those who don't use meters and quote RM50 for a 10 minute trip. If we can have police speed traps and Mat rempit traps, why can't they also check all the taxis at the same time for tampered meters and ask passengers if the driver had just quoted a price instead of using the meter. Having said that, taxi drivers are way underpaid, so cannot exactly blame them for trying to make more money. Increase flag fall to RM3.00 and per km rate by 30%, then implement strict adherence to rules and meter usage.
These are just 3 things which will piss off any goodwill generated by our tourism campaigns. Tourism should be a top 3 industry for Malaysia, so we should handle it well. First, appoint a more hard nose Minister. We have top beaches, top beach resorts, world ranked spas and hills resorts, excellent eco-tourism in east malaysia, now serviced by cheap LCCs, with AirAsia we can be a must stop centerpoint for tourists wanting to go regional (use KL as a base and then go to East Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia cheaply), Malaysia has a huge natural advantage being the preferred place of travel for Middle East tourists and must leverage on that.
This is important, please somebody high ranking, do something ....... The above things need immediate rectification, the LCC Terminal situation is quite dire, how long do you think it will take to address the problems?? Or, do we just brush it of as doing it ala Malaysian style la .. eventually will get done la, why the hurry , ...don't like it, don't come la...
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